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BUSINESS  LETTER 
PRACTICE 


BUSINESS    LETTER 
PRACTICE 


BY 

JOHN  B.  OPDYCKE 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTORY  SYMPOSIUM  ON  BUSINESS 
LETTER  WRITING 


MR.  JOSEPH  H.  APPEL 

PUBLICITY    DIRECTOR    OF    THE    JOHN    WANAMAKER    STORES 

MR.  ROGER  W.  BABSON 

PRESIDENT    OF    BABSON'S    STATISTICAL    ORGANIZATION 

MR.  LOUIS  K.  LIGGETT 

PRESIDENT    OF   THE    UNITED    DRUG    COMPANY 

MR.  CHARLES  H.  SABIN 

CHAIRMAN    OF    THE    BOARD    OF    DIRECTORS    OF    THE   GUARANTY 
TRUST    COMPANY    OF    NEW    YORK. 


NEW  YORK 

ISAAC  PITMAN  &  SONS,  The  Phonographic  Depot 

2  West  45th  Street 

TORONTO:  70  BOND  STREET 

AND  AT  LONDON,  BATH  AND  MELBOURNE 


Wholesale  Canadian  Agents 
The  Commercial  Text-Booh  Co. 

AND 

The   Copp,    Clark   Co.,    Limited 
TORONTO 


TO 
T.    H. 


F»rS*B»     IH    BATH,     ENflLAND,     BT 

Sis  Isaac  Pitjcan  ±  8onb,  Libotip 


PREFACE 


I  am  the  Letter. 

I  am  the  Bearer  of  Tidings  of  Great  Joy. 

I  am  the  Cavalier  of  Culture. 

I  am  the  Courier  of  Commerce. 

I  am  the  Ambassador  of  Production. 

I  am  the  Winged  Mercury  of  Industry. 

I  am  the  Pheidippides  of  Trade. 

I  am  the  Plenipotentiary  of  Finance. 

I  am  the  Charge  d' Affaires  for  Cupid. 

I  am  the  High  Priest  of  Potential  Human  Thought. 

I  am  the  Messenger   alike    of   Dreamer   and   of   Doer,    of   Peasant   and   of 

Potentate,  of  Sage,  and  of  Sophist. 
I  am  the  Motive  Power  behind  the  Iron  Horse  that  Speeds  like  Lightning 

over  the  Endless  Rail. 
I  am  the  Driving    Force   behind   the    Ocean    Greyhound   that    Plows   and 

Furrows  the  Infinite  Seas  of  Earth. 
I  am  the  Deathless  Energy  behind  the  Airplane  that  Swirls  and  Shatters 

the  Atmosphere  of  the  Heavens. 
I  am  the  General  of  Armies  which.  Set  for  Action,  must  Stand  in  Poised 

but  Impatient  Tableau  till  I  Bid  Them  Charge. 
I  am  the  Commander  of  Navies  which.  Stripped  for  Onslaught,  must  Halt 

in  Steaming  and  Beetling  Silence  till  I  Bid  Them  Strike. 
I  am  the  Fate  or  the  Salvation  of  Nations. 
I  am  the  Blasphemer  or  the  Hallower  of  Human  Life. 
I  am  the  Perverter  or  the  Glorifier  of  Human  Love. 
I  am  the  Balm  or  the  Heartbreak  of  the  Soul. 
I  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega  of  Big  Business. 
I  am  the  Bearer  of  Tidings  of  Grave  Import. 
I  am  the  Letter. 


The  contents  of  the  present  volume  have  been  assembled  with 
a  threefold  aim  in  mind.  The  book  is  first  of  all  for  the  teacher 
and  the  student  of  stenography.  It  is  also  for  the  teacher  and  the 
student  of  business  EngHsh.  It  is,  in  the  third  place,  for  the 
business  office  and  the  correspondence  supervisor  in  that  ofhce. 
One  of  the  most  important  functions  which,  it  is  hoped,  the 
book  will  serve  is  that  of  bringing  teachers  of  stenography  and 
teachers  of  English  in  commercial  schools  and  colleges  into  closer 
and  more  sympathetic  cooperation.  But  it  will  also  bridge  the 
gap,  if  permitted  to  do  so,  between  the  school  and  the  business 
office.  Theory  and  practice  have  been  so  selected  and  so  arranged 
as  to  enable  students  to  learn  by  doing.  The  author  has  attempted, 
in  other  words,  to  provide  not  only  many  good  letters  for  study 
and  dictation,  but  also  considerable  exposition   of  the  principles 


496433 


PREFACE 


that  underlie  business  letter  composition.  All  of  this  exposition 
has  been  made  suitable  for  dictation,  so  that  the  student  may  be 
afforded  a  liberal  education  in  certain  business  practice  and  pro- 
cedure at  the  same  time  that  he  is  learning  to  write  letters  and 
acquire  speed  in  stenography.  In  addition,  there  are  many 
problems  that  will  challenge  and  stimulate  in  the  extempore 
dictation  and  composition  of  business  letters. 

The  teacher  of  stenography  must  be  an  educator,  not  merely 
a  dictator  of  sign  and  symbol  and  line  and  form.  He  is  obligated 
to  make  of  himself  a  guide  and  inspiration  to  students  in  their 
grasp  and  appreciation  of  the  broad  underlying,  standardized 
units  of  commercial  and  industrial  thought.  He  must,  of  course, 
dictate  ;  but  he  must  also  develop  thought  processes.  He  must, 
of  course,  instruct  in  the  facts  and  mechanics  of  shorthand  and 
letter  writing  ;  but  he  must  likewise  pose  problems  and  project 
and  supervise  thought-provoking  practice.  It  is  with  this  con- 
ception of  the  stenography  teacher's  work  that  the  author  has 
provided,  in  addition  to  hundreds  of  letters,  much  textual  matter 
and  problem  work,  all  of  which  centers  in  the  principal  points  of 
organized  business  knowledge. 

Every  teacher  of  stenography  is  a  teacher  of  English — must 
needs  be,  until  the  time  comes  when  teachers  of  English  are  better 
equipped  with  business  knowledge,  are  made  to  feel  a  stronger 
obligation  to  correlate,  and  are  afforded  more  effective  facilities 
for  correlation.  There  should  be  no  Chinese  Wall,  or  any  remnant 
of  one,  between  the  department  of  stenography  and  the  depart- 
ment of  English.  In  any  commercial  school  worthy  the  name 
these  two  departments,  certainly,  need  to  be  "  twinned  as  horse's 
ear  and  eye."  And  they  must  as  certainly  focus  their  work  con- 
cretely forward  into  the  business  office.  The  common  interest 
that  the  teacher  of  English,  the  teacher  of  stenography,  and  the 
employee  of  the  business  office  have  in  the  business  letter  should  of 
itself  be  sufficient  spur  to  insure  unanimity  of  cooperation  in  the 
formulation  of  teaching  method  and  in  the  selection  of  teaching 
content. 


Henry  David  Thoreau,  somewhere  in  his  ever-engaging  pages, 
recalls  that  Hussein  Effendi  praised  the  epistolary  style  of  Ibrahim 
Pasha  to  the  French  traveler  Botta,  because  of  "  the  difficulty  of 


VI 


PREFACE 


understanding  it."  "  There  was,"  he  said,  "  but  one  person  in 
Jidda  who  was  capable  of  understanding  and  explaining  the 
Pasha's  correspondence."  Up  to  a  few  years  ago,  there  was  much 
business  epistolary  style  that  might  have  rivaled  Ibrahim  Pasha's 
fractious  form  and  cryptic  content.  But  the  Better  Letter 
Movement  of  the  past  decade  has  wrought  a  miracle.  It  has  staged 
a  revolution,  brought  about  a  reconstruction,  inspired  a  renaissance. 
It  has  moved  apace  in  spite  of  the  quack  concerns  that  have 
exploited  it  for  material  ends,  and  waxed  fat  regardless  of  either 
methodology  or  result.  It  has  relegated  the  Ibrahim  Pasha  of 
business  to  the  Ananias  Correspondence  Club,  or  to  the  presidency 
of  "  The  Excelsior  Letter  Writing  Organization,  Ltd., 
Perfect  Business  Letters  Guaranteed  in  Ten  Lessons  for  the  Nominal 
Sum  of  Twenty-five  Dollars,  Payable  in  Capsule  Instalments," 
etc.,  etc.     And  this  is  very  much  the  same  sort  of  honorary  disposal. 

Business  letters  that  are  understood  by  everybody  "  in  Jidda," 
and  that  need  no  explanation,  are  the  result  of  long-continued 
developmental  study  both  of  business  and  of  the  principles  of 
writing.  There  is  no  short-cut  route,  no  hand-me-down  process, 
no  sleight-of-hand  device,  in  learning  how  to  write  or  in  "  how  to 
take  "  business  letters.  Plodding  persistence  or  persistent  plodding 
is  the  only  talisman  in  this  very  important  branch  of  education, 
as  in  all  others,  and  this  is  true  for  the  gifted  as  for  the  ungifted 
ones.  The  best  comprehensive  formula  for  any  who  would  attain 
to  facility  and  distinction  in  the  chief  of  business  expressional  forms, 
namely,  letter  writing,  is  this  :  Read  omnivorously  ;  think  unfathom- 
ably ;   practice  indefatigahly  ;    criticize  your  own  work  relentlessly. 

It  was  doubtless  because  Ibrahim  Pasha  did  not  observe  this 
formula  that  his  messages  were  so  murky.  But  it  may  have  been, 
too,  that,  like  certain  writers  of  a  period  less  remote  than  his  own, 
he  took  pride  in  making  himself  "  difficult  to  decipher  and  'ard  to 
hunderstand."  The  Better  Letter  Movement  has  concentrated 
upon  this  formula.  It  has  inspired  business  with  a  letter  con- 
science. It  has  shown  that  the  degree  B.L.W.  (Business  Letter 
Writer)  is  to  be  awarded  only  as  a  process  of  evolution  on  the 
part  of  the  graduate.  It  has  inculcated  a  deep  and  enduring 
interest  everywhere  in  the  format  and  content  of  business  letters. 
It  has  proved,  on  the  one  hand,  that  all  Ibrahim  Pashas  are  candi- 
dating   for  the  bankruptcy  courts  in  the  letters  that  they  write, 

vii 


PREFACE 


and,  on  the  other,  that,  as  a  business  house  writeth  in  its  letters, 
so  shall  its  power  and  its  kingdom  and  its  glory  be  forevermore. 
It  has,  in  short,  "  miraclized  "  the  business  message. 


The  listing  of  acknowledgment  and  indebtedness  just  below  is 
an  incomplete  story  indeed,  in  comparison  with  the  amount  of 
material  and  helpful  suggestion  that  business  firms  in  all  parts  of 
the  country  have  generously  contributed  to  the  author.  The 
following  excerpt  taken  from  a  communication  from  a  large  indus- 
trial concern  granting  the  author  permission  to  make  use  of  some 
of  its  excellent  letters,  is  typical  of  the  attitude  evinced  by  all 
that  have  extended  him  similar  courtesy : 

We  are  always  very  loth  to  permit  the  publication  of  any  of  our 
correspondence  or  letters  that  might  in  any  way  have  the  appearance 
of  seeming  to  be  setting  ourselves  up  as  experts  in  letter  composition, 
because  no  matter  how  excellent  the  work  may  be,  there  is  always 
a  possibility  of  criticism  of  some  certain  feature  of  any  letter.  However, 
I  am  enclosing  a  number  which  we  have  recommended  to  our  dis- 
tributors as  being  good  result  getters  in  direct-mail  work  and  sales 
follow-up,  and  perhaps  they  will  serve  the  needs  of  the  case. 

As  far,  however,  as  "  that  most  conventional  (and  most  inade- 
quate) of  printed  places  " — a  preface — ^will  permit,  the  author 
gratefully  acknowledges  indebtedness  to  the  following  for  the 
privilege  of  using  materials  and,  in  many  cases,  for  valuable  advice 
and  guidance :  Packard  Motor  Car  Company,  Chalmers  Motor 
Car  Company,  Republic  Truck  Company,  Fisk  Rubber  Company, 
United  States  Rubber  Company,  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber 
Company,  Goodrich  Rubber  Company,  United  Drug  Company, 
National  Cash  Register  Company,  Addressograph  Company, 
Arnerican  Multigraph  Company,  The  Edison  Company,  Pratt  and 
Lambert,  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  Central  Chemical 
Company,  National  Ticket  Printing  Company,  National  City  Bank 
of  New  York,  Guaranty  Trust  Company  of  New  York,  Bankers 
Trust  Company  of  New  York,  Fidelity  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company,  Sweet  and  Richards,  Mercantile  Credit  Reporting  and 
Collecting  Agency,  IngersoU  Watch  Company,  Elgin  Watch  Com- 
pany,  Angier  MiUs   Company,   Old   Hampshire   Bond   Company, 

viii 


PREFACE 


Better  Sox  Knitting  Mills,  Harvey  Glove  Company,  Strawbridge 
and  Clothier,  Stein-Bloch  Company,  Stein  and  Blaine,  Franklin 
Simon  Company,  Lord  and  Taylor,  R.  H.  Macy  and  Company, 
Yawman  and  Erbe  Manufacturing  Company,  The  Roycrofters, 
The  Grolier  Society,  Carnation  Milk  Products  Company,  Inter- 
national Correspondence  Schools,  Alexander  Hamilton  Institute, 
New  York  Evening  Post,  Springfield  Republican,  Printers'  Ink, 
Judicious  Advertising,  Postage,  System,  The  Mailbag,  American 
Magazine,  Montgomery  and  Ward,  Mr.  Arthur  Middleton,  Mr. 
J.  T.  Bartlett,  Mr.  Charles  S.  Nagel,  Mr.  Edward  H.  Schulze, 
Mr.  Wilmot  Lippincott,  Mr.  Samuel  Stebbins,  Mr.  C.  B.  McCuaig, 
Mr.  A.  H.  Deute,  Mr.  E.  P.  Corbett,  Mr.  James  Wallen,  and  Miss 
Mabel  F.  Brooks. 

The  reader,  the  student,  the  publisher,  and  the  autttor  are  alike 
indebted  to  those  gentlemen  who  have  kindly  consented  to  inter- 
rupt the  busy  day's  work  for  the  purpose  of  contributing  to  the 
introductory  symposium  to  this  book.  They  speak  from  widely 
divergent  fields  of  enterprise,  not  only  with  the  eloquence  of 
authority,  but  with  finality  on  the  important  subject  of  business 
letter  writing.  It  is,  indeed,  a  privilege  for  all  of  those  who  are 
interested  in  the  problems  of  commercial  correspondence,  to  be 
introduced  to  their  study  thru  the  inspiring  messages  of  men  who 
have  achieved  unique  and  prominent  business  position  in  part 
thru  the  agency  of  the  business  letter.  In  this  general  place  the 
author  wishes  to  thank  them  again  for  the  courtesy  that  they  have 
shown  him  personally. 


IX 

B— (429) 


CONTENTS 


PREFACE  

SYMPOSIUM   ON   THE   BUSINESS   LETTER 
I.      THE   PICTURE   OF  THE   BUSINESS   LETTER 
II.      THE  COMPOSITION   OF  THE   BUSINESS   LETTER 

III.  SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY   BY   LETTER 

IV.  SELLING  THE   EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION   BY   LETTER 
V.      SELLING   SATISFACTION   BY   LETTER       . 

VI.      SELLING  COMMODITY,  SERVICE,  OR  IDEA  BY  LETTER 
VII.      SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER        .... 
VIII.      SELLING   SOLVENCY   BY   LETTER 

IX.      SELLING   BY   CIRCULAR 

X.      ARTICLES   FOR   STUDY   AND   DICTATION  .  . 

APPENDIX — 

ABBREVIATIONS 

BUSINESS  LETTER   LEXICON    .... 
INDEX      


PAGE 

V 


Xlll-XlX 

1 

47 
161 
197 
237 
273 
375 
423 
473 
.  519 

555 
561 
577 


XI 


SYMPOSIUM  ON  BUSINESS 
LETTER   WRITING 


BY 


MR.   JOSEPH  H.  APPEL 

PUBLICITY    DIRECTOR    OF    THE    JOHN    WANAMAKER    STORES 

MR.   ROGER  W.  BABSON 

PRESIDENT    OF    BABSON'S    STATISTICAL    ORGANIZATION 

MR.   LOUIS    K.   LIGGETT 

PRESIDENT    OF   THE    UNITED    DRUG    COMPANY 

MR.  CHARLES   H.   SABIN 

CHAIRMAN    OF   THE    BOARD    OF    DIRECTORS    OF    THE    GUARANTY 
TRUST    COMPANY    OF    NEW    YORK. 


INTRODUCTORY  MESSAGES 


By  My.  Joseph  H.  Appel, 

Publicity  Director  of  the  John  Wanamaker  Stores. 


Lamented  as  a  lost  art,  letter  writing  began  to  come  back 
into  our  lives  with  the  advent  of  stenography,  the  type- 
writer, and  the  multigraph.  It  came  back  in  a  new  form, 
as  an  aid  to  business.  Today  there  is  a  flood  of  business 
letters  in  the  mails. 

But  has  the  art  of  letter  writing  come  back  ?  I  think  not. 
The  very  ease  with  which  letters  are  now  written,  mechan- 
ically, makes  their  contents  mechanical.  In  business 
organizations  the  job  of  writing  letters  is  often  given  to 
any  one  who  can  operate  a  typewriter — ^until  the  letters 
become  too  bad  ;  then  the  boss  takes  a  hand,  and  he  makes 
a  worse  mess  of  it. 

This  may  be  overpainting  the  picture,  but  there  surely  is 
a  crying  need  for  improvement  in  business  letters.  The 
art  is  only  in  its  infancy,  if  indeed  it  can  so  far  be  called 
an  art. 

The  need  is  for  accurate  letters,  lucid  letters,  straight-to- 
the-point  letters,  courteous  letters,  human  letters :  Letters 
that  read  as  tho  the  writer  were  talking  personally 
with  the  customer.  No  frills.  No  useless  introductions. 
No  hackneyed  conclusions.  Letters  that  give  in  simple 
words  and  sentences  the  facts  about  merchandise,  service, 
or  other  subject  under  consideration. 

Such  letters  seem  easy  to  write.  "  Just  talk  it  out,"  we 
say.  Yet,  how  few  really  good  talkers  there  are !  How 
few  men  or  women  express  themselves  clearly !  How 
many  of  us  are  misunderstood  when  we  talk  and  when  we 
write  !  How  few  can  write  sentences  as  Lincoln  wrote 
them — simple,  direct,  plain,  straight  to  the  point. 

Manifestly,  it  is  impossible  for  an  expert  to  dictate  every 
letter  that  goes  out  from  a  big  business  concern.  Form 
letters  or  guide  letters  are,  therefore,  necessary.  The  ideal, 
of  course,  is  to  have  each  business  letter  read  like  a  per- 
sonal letter  written  expressly  to  meet  each  individual 
situation,  one  that  will  be  accepted  by  the  customer  or 
prospect  as  an  individual  communication.  The  reality 
must  be  a  compromise  between  this  ideal  and  the  practical 
form  letter. 

The  danger  of  form  letters  is  that  they  get  into  a  rut. 
They  become  stereotyped.  They  lack  spirit,  personality, 
life.     But,  even  form  letters,  if  lucid  and  logical,  are  better 

[Contd.  on  p.  xvi 


XV 


INTRODUCTORY    MESSAGES 


Contd.  from  p.  xv] 

than  slovenly,  hazy  letters  which  appear  to  be  full  of 
ginger,  but  which  leave  the  reader  muddled. 

Like  all  advertising,  business  letters  should  be  written 
from  the  reader's  point  of  view.  They  should  render  a 
service,  whether  replying  to  an  inquiry,  giving  an  explana- 
tion, making  an  adjustment,  or  seeking  to  sell.  An 
advertisement  which  enables  one  to  buy  is  stronger  and 
more  subtle  than  that  which  seeks  to  sell.  Business 
letters  should  follow  the  same  psychology. 

Present  day  advertising  is  learning  much  from  the  motion 
picture.  Thoughts  are  being  expressed  in  flashes — in  the 
form  of  pictures — ^word  pictures  as  well  as  artists'  illus- 
trative sketches.  Thoughts  are  being  flashed  before  the 
public  one  at  a  time.  Business  letters,  to  be  successful, 
must  follow  this  trend.  People  are  not  reading  as  they 
used  to  read.  They  want  their  news,  their  education,  their 
recreation  in  a  flash.  They  want  to  absorb  an  idea  at  a 
glance,  to  sense  it,  to  feel  it,  rather  than  to  dig  it  out  and 
to  learn  it  tediously.  Right  or  wrong,  good  or  bad,  this 
attitude  of  the  public  mind  must  be  reckoned  with. 

The  failure  of  direct-by-mail  advertising  is  in  the  facts 
(i)  that  most  of  it  goes  unread,  often  unopened,  into  the 
waste-basket ;  and  (2)  that  even  when  read  much  of  it 
brings  no  response  because  poorly  prepared  and  not  con- 
vincing. Newspaper  and  magazine  advertising  meets 
equal  failure  when  it  fails  to  **  get  over  "  to  the   public. 

The  lesson  which  all  advertisers  must  learn  is  that  their 
message  must  first  be  seen,  then  read,  then  understood, 
then  believed  before  action  will  follow.  The  human  mind 
responds  only  thru  these  stages,  taken  in  the  order 
named.  People  do  not  act  without  confidence.  They  do 
not  have  confidence  without  understanding.  They  do  not 
understand  without  information  unless  it  is  presented 
clearly  in  type,  picture,  or  speech.  And  it  is  a  certainty 
that  the  public  will  not  waste  time  and  energy  and  patience 
and  nerves  on  advertising  of  any  kind  that  is  not  easily 
comprehended  and  that  does  not  render  a  service.  The 
public  will  not  open  its  mind  to  advertisers  unless  adver- 
tisers open  their  service  plainly  and  clearly  to  the  public, 
so  that  he  who  runs  may  read  and  know  and  act.  This  is 
a  swiftly  running  age.  Advertising  must  be  on  the  jump 
to  catch  the  people  as  they  rush  along. 

And  if  business  men  will  read  and  heed  Mr.  Opdycke's 
book  and  apply  his  well-considered  thoughts,  there  will  be 
an  increase  in  their  trade  because  they  will  write  better 
letters  and  thus  render  better  service. 


XVI 


INTRODUCTORY    MESSAGES 


By  Mr.  Roger  W.  Babson, 

President  of  Babson's  Statistical  Organization. 


Most  of  the  books  on  letter  writing  that  it  has  been  my 
good  fortune  to  read,  or  in  some  cases,  my  misfortune  to 
read,  are  usually  too  prone  to  dwell  on  what  not  to  do  and 
often  neglect  to  tell  us  what  we  should  do. 

It  is  quite  refreshing  to  find  a  book  like  "  Business  Letter 
Practice,"  replete  with  illustrations  of  what  has  been  done, 
followed  by  what  should  be  done. 

Selling,  today,  is  on  an  extremely  high  plane.  We  long 
ago  left  the  old  style  "  drummer  "  in  the  rear  and  have 
developed  personal  solicitation  in  business  thru  scientifi- 
cally trained  salesmen.  This  means  that  the  buying  public 
has  forgotten  the  man  who  used  to  make  sales  thru  his 
generous  distribution  of  cigars,  cheap  stories,  and  other 
entertainment  at  the  expense  of  the  house.  We  have 
become  accustomed,  and  have  accepted,  the  high  type  of 
salesman  required  today  who  makes  his  sales  thru  a  knowl- 
edge of  his  product,  a  belief  in  the  house  he  represents, 
the  goods  it  produces,  and  his  understanding  of  the 
profession  or  art  of  selling. 

This  is  also  true  of  the  business  letter.  Business  men  will 
no  longer  indorse,  sanction,  or  even  recognize,  the  slip- 
shod, cheap  "  drummer  ' '  type  of  sales  letter  any  more 
than  they  will  this  type  of  salesman.  All  of  us  in  business 
recognize  true  salesmanship  in  written  form  and  usually 
are  appreciative  of  the  abilities  demonstrated  by  the 
salesman  who  calls  upon  us  in  person. 

Most  sales  forces  today  are  backed  up  with  strong  sales 
letters  from  their  home  office.  While  it  is  true  that  most 
anything  that  can  be  sold  by  salesmen  can  be  sold  by  mail, 
yet  I  have  found  it  also  true  that  anything  sold  by  salesmen 
can  be  more  thoroly  sold,  and  in  larger  quantities,  by  sales 
letter  assistance  of  proper  type. 

"  Business  Letter  Practice  "  I  believe  to  be  a  distinct 
contribution  to  better  letter  writing,  and  I  am  very  glad 
indeed,  to  have  had  this  opportunity  to  add  my  little  bit 
to  the  thousands  of  other  business  men  who  are  clamoring 
for  more  help  and  more  light  on  how  to  write  better 
business  letters. 


XVU 


INTRODUCTORY   MESSAGES 


By  Mr.  Louis  K.  Liggett, 

President  of  the  United  Drug  Company. 


Letters  are  the  person  in  print.  There  is  personality  in 
correspondence  just  as  there  is  in  your  face.  The  features 
of  your  countenance  spell  character,  indicate  intelligence 
and  ability,  and  promote  confidence  and  goodwill.  The 
make  up,  style,  and  general  appearance  of  a  letter  represent 
these  same  elements  in  correspondence. 


I  do  not  mean  to  be  a  theorist,  but  I  am  firmly  convinced 
that  the  mental  attitude  assumed  by  the  man  while  dictating 
or  writing  a  letter  is  usually  conveyed  to  the  recipient  of 
the  message.  The  way  in  which  the  letter  is  spaced, 
paragraphed,  etc.,  answers  as  the  man's  clothes  to  his 
body  in  a  personal  interview. 


Some  people  look  neat  and  clean,  and  you  are  impressed 
with  their  bearing ;  other  people  may  look  unkempt, 
slouchy,  and  careless.  Letters  can  look  either  one  of 
these  two  ways.  Correspondence  is  the  nearest  approach 
to  your  own  self  and,  therefore,  should  be  closely  studied 
and  analyzed.  Be  as  particular  in  what  you  say,  the  way 
you  say  it,  and  the  way  it  is  written,  as  you  would  be  in 
putting  on  your  collar  and  necktie  and  combing  your  hair. 
Everything  that  a  person  or  a  business  firm  does,  advertises 
it  either  for  good  or  bad.  There  is  nothing  bespeaks  its 
character  and  make-up  so  much  as  correspondence. 

These  things  I  know  so  well  because  from  the  beginning 
of  the  United  Drug  Company  we  have  used  letters  to 
promote  our  business. 


XVlll 


INTRODUCTORY   MESSAGES 


By  Mr.  Charles  H.  Sahin, 

Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 

Guaranty  Trust    Company  of  New  York. 


In  view  of  the  large  proportion  of  business  transactions 
which  are  consummated  by  correspondence,  I  regard  any- 
well  directed  efforts  toward  the  improvement  of  business 
letter  writing  as  most  worth  while.  I  am  very  glad  to 
improve  the  opportunity  to  add  a  word  of  emphasis  to  the 
obligation  which  I  feel  rests  upon  our  teachers  of  English 
and  our  business  executives  to  do  all  in  their  power  to 
improve  the  standards  of  such  communications.  A 
business  letter  is  really  a  substitute  for  an  interview. 
Within  its  text  the  writer  makes  a  request,  outlines  a  pro- 
position, expresses  an  opinion  or  gives  information,  more 
briefly,  it  is  true,  than  he  would  in  conversation,  but  often 
much  more  convincingly. 

A  letter  is  effective  to  the  extent  that  it  impresses  and 
influences  the  person  to  whom  it  is  addressed.  Those  who 
receive  letters  are  impressed  favorably  or  unfavorably  by 
the  character  of  the  stationery  a  business  house  uses,  and 
by  the  way  its  letters  are  typed,  but  they  are  influenced 
by  what  a  letter  says  and  how  it  says  it.  Hence,  it  is 
highly  important  that  both  the  form  and  the  substance 
of  business  letters  be  carefully  studied.  They  should  be 
attractive  in  appearance,  courteous,  concise,  straight- 
forward, and  so  clearly  phrased  that  they  cannot  be  mis- 
understood. More  than  that,  they  should  be  builders  of 
good  will  and  a  fair  expression  of  the  character  and  purpose 
of  the  writer,  whether  it  be  a  corporation  or  an  individual. 
They  should  accurately  reflect  the  spirit  of  their  institution 
or  the  person  who  writes  them.  Brevity,  sincerity,  and 
utility  should  distinguish  them.  Trite  phrases  and  long 
sentences  should  be  avoided  as  far  as  possible.  The  cultiva- 
tion and  maintenance  of  mutually  pleasant  and  profitable 
human  business  relations  should  always  be  the  end  sought. 

My  own  feeling  is  that  every  effort  should  be  made  to  make 
our  letters  simple  in  construction,  kindly  in  tone,  and 
pleasing  to  the  eye,  but  that  special  insistence  should  be 
placed  upon  the  necessity  of  not  committing  ideas  to  paper 
until  they  have  been  clearly  thought  out  and  adequately 
supported  by  the  necessary  data. 

The  cultivation  of  a  convincing  correspondence  style  is 
a  worthy  ideal  for  every  business  executive  and  those 
who  aspire  to  be  business  executives.  It  has  both 
economic  and  social  value  and  well  deserves  the  study  and 
consideration  which  you  invite  to  it. 


XIX 


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BUSINESS   LETTER 
PRACTICE 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS   LETTER 

You  may  be  a  master  artist,  hut  you'll  reassure  your  fame. 
If  you  hang  your  cavvas  deftly  in  a  proper  sort  of  frame  ; 
You  may  build  a  perfect  letter,  sound  in  thought,  in  tone  polite. 
But  'twill  make  a  poor  impression  if  the  picture  isn't  right. 

Men  are  made  for  pictures.  Pictures  are  made  for  men.  The 
equation  is  by  no  means  six-and-six,  however  ;  perhaps  only  about 
two-and-ten.  But  whatever  may  be  the  fluctuation  in  its  indi- 
vidual terms,  the  unity  of  the  proposition  holds.  Doubtless  by 
education  and  environment  and  other  subtle  influences,  some 
men  are  made  or  remade  for  pictures.  Also,  by  means  of  these 
and  other  things,  namely,  vanity  and  patronage  and  adaptation, 
pictures  get  themselves  made  for  men,  and  always  have  done  so. 
Not  that  art  for  art's  sake  is  a  fiction.  Emphatically  "not  !  But 
art  for  other  sakes  is  very  often  a  fact.  Indeed,  pictures  are 
made,  not  bom,  as  a  rule.  Men  are  born,  not  made,  also  as  a  rule. 
Now,  a  letter  is  a  picture — or  ought  to  be.  And  letters  are  made 
for  men,  principally,  tho  some  men  may  be  made  for  letters — 
some  letters.  It  is  quite  certain  that  a  few  men  are  born  with 
epistolary  intuitions.  It  is  a  tragic  fact  that  many  a  letter  that 
is  neither  human  nor  picturesque,  meanders  thru  the  mails.  The 
thought  behind  a  painting  may  be  elevated  or  degraded  according 
as  the  artist  has  worked  out  the  detail  in  keeping  with  sound 
principles,  even  to  the  tracery  on  the  frame,  or  descended  into 
mere  daubery  and  defilement,  even  to  the  hanging  of  the  master- 
piece in  a  gallery.  Just  so  with  the  thought  behind  a  letter. 
Be  it  ever  so  short-circuited  and  narrow-gaged,  it  may  yet  be 
re-enforced  by  means  of  the  letter  picture  in  which  it  is  set.  Be  it 
ever  so  broadly  conceived  and  completely  turned,  it  may,  by  the 

1 

1— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


same  token,  fall  far  short  as  the  result  of  negative  arrangement 
and  minus  form.  The  full  effectiveness  of  a  letter,  as  of  a  picture, 
depends  upon  three  elements  :  (1)  What  is  thought  by  the  artist 
behind  it ;  (2)  what  is  said  by  the  artist  in  it ;  (3)  what  degree  of 
harmony  is  evidenced  between  the  form  of  expression  and  the 
content.  It  is  with  the  last  only  that  we  are  concerned  in  this 
chapter,  tho  our  title  may  be  applied  with  equal  force  to  the 
other  two. 

The  underlying  principles  of  Greek  art  have  been  applied  time 
and  again  to  painting  and  photography  and  advertising  copy,  and 
to  the  typographical  arrangement  of  the  book  page.  At  least 
four  of  these  principles  may  be  applied  with  equal  benefit  and 
appropriateness  to  the  letter  picture.  We  mean  the  principles  of 
focus,  movement,  balance,  and  proportion.  Of  course,  the  failure 
to  observe  these  four  principles  in  "  setting  up  "  a  letter  may  cause 
little  or  no  conscious  retardation  on  the  part  of  the  reader  in 
grasping  the  thought.  But  the  observation  of  them  will  do  much 
toward  insinuating  a  message  easily  and  agreeably.  And  the 
cumulative  momentum  of  the  consistent  arrangement  of  letter 
matter  on  the  letter  page,  in  cases  where  large  numbers  of  letters 
are  to  be  read  daily,  is  by  no  means  unconscious  or  imponderable. 
There  are  many  business  letters  even  yet  that,  by  their  incoherent 
and  inconsiderate  placement  of  parts  and  picturization  of  page, 
cause  brain  fag  and  irritabihty.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are 
some  business  letters  that  seem  to  have  been  rendered  to  music, 
so  nicely  adapted  is  the  expression  to  the  form,  so  subtly  adjusted 
is  the  appearance  to  the  canons  of  Greek  art. 

The  focal  or  optical  center  of  a  sheet  of  commercial  stationery 
is  about  one  inch  above  the  actual  or  mathematical  center.  If 
this  focal  point  is  important  enough  to  be  played  to  by  the  artist 
and  the  copyman  and  the  maker  of  books,  it  should  certainly  be 
kept  in  mind  by  the  letter  writer.  One  of  the  most  important 
expressions — probably  the  most  important — in  the  letter  should 
be  given  this  vantage  position.  It  frequently  happens  that  the 
body  of  the  letter  opens  just  here.  This  is  fortunate,  for  it  offers 
opportunity  to  twin  emphasis  of  expression,  the  opening,  with 
emphasis  of  form,  the  optical  center.  To  place  at  this  point  on 
the  letter  sheet  such  a  blasphemous  bromide  as:  "  In  reply  to  yours 
of  13  inst.  would  say ,"  is  to  defy  device  and  profane  propriety  ; 


THE  PICTURE  ^F  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


it  is  to  be  guilty  of  the  same  stupidity  as  that  evinced  by  the 
photographer  who  places  the  face  in  a  portrait  at  any  position 
other  than  the  optical  one.  Indeed,  this  Greek  principle  of  focus 
is  even  more  important  as  applied  to  letter  portraiture,  than  to 
art  itself,  for  no  part  of  a  letter  may  be  spared  from  top  to  bottom 
in  order  to  get  the  focal  adjustment,  while  in  a  picture  there  is 
usually  a  greater  fluidity  in  this  respect. 

Just  as  there  should  be  no  distracting  elements  in  a  painting  or 
a  piece  of  sculpture,  so  likewise  all  the  elements  in  a  letter  picture 
should  move  together  without  any  disturbing  influences.  The 
walls  and  the  floors  of  a  well-appointed  sanitarium  are  so  decorated 
as  not  to  induce  guests  to  count*  Form  and  figure  are  so  sub- 
ordinated as  to  make  for  quiet  nerves  and  peaceful  minds.  The 
well-managed  sanitarium  does  not  permit  of  ornamentation  any- 
where in  such  a  way  as  to  suggest  countability  as  the  result  of 
recurrence  of  placement.  No  one  is  kept  awake  because  of  the 
eternal  one-two-three-four  of  the  rugs  or  the  wall  papers.  In  the 
same  way,  no  one  should  be  prevented  from  bringing  his  whole 
attention  to  bear  upon  a  letter  by  the  protrusion  of  elements  in 
a  letterhead  or  in  the  letter  composition  itself.  We  sometimes  see 
an  illustrated  letterhead  that  simply  must  be  counted  before  we 
can  read  the  letter.  A  row  of  figures  across  the  top,  a  list  of  names 
down  the  side,  a  trademark  of  a  half  dozen  parts — these  are  all 
distractions  that  prevent  the  easy  onward  movement  of  the  letter 
as  a  whole.  We  have  known  letters  that  could  not  be  read  for  the 
paragraphs,  they  were  so  short  and  so  frequent  and  thus  so 
dissipating.  We  have  known  letters  that  could  not  be  read  for 
italics  and  underlinings  and  other  numerous  mechanics  of  emphasis. 
We  "  could  not  see  the  woods  for  the  trees,"  because  the  good  old 
Greek  principle  of  movement  was  violated.  When  you  see  the 
pillared  facade  of  a  building  and  are  not  tempted  to  count  the 
pillars  because  they  all  seem  to  move  together -in  rhythmic  unity, 
take  off  your  hat,  for  you  are  in  the  presence  of  Greek  architecture. 
When  you  see  the  pillared  facade  of  a  building  that  tempts  you 
into  repeated  and  infinite  counting  because  it  is  never  quite  still 
bat  seems  to  be  constantly  moving  about,  keep  your  hat  on,  for 
you  are  in  the  presence  of  nothing  but  indifferent  imitation  of 
Greek  architecture. 

And  the  Greek  principle  of  balance  is  of  quite  as  great  value  and 


BUSINESS  LETTER  #RACTICE 


The  Normal  Letter. 


The  Short  Letter. 


Placement  oj  Letter  on  Commercial  Note  Paper. 

' 

8i 
4 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


importance  to  the  letter  page  as  to  other  forms  of  art.  Does 
your  letter  seem  to  tilt  to  one  side  or  the  other  ?  Are  you  constantly 
impelled  to  make  it  straight,  as  with  the  pictures  on  your  walls, 
in  which  the  artist  has  crowded  one  side  at  the  expense  of  the 
other  ?  Perhaps  there  is  a  list  of  printed  names  on  the  letterhead 
that  runs  longitudinally  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  sheet 
on  one  side  or  the  other.  Perhaps  there  are  awkward,  inchoate 
spaces  here  and  there  at  odd  and  unaccountable  intervals.  Perhaps 
the  pesky  righthand  margin  is  too  raggedly  uneven.  Perhaps  the 
blocked  paragraphing  brings  up  too  heavily  on  the  lefthand  margin, 
making  the  left  side  of  the  sheet  seem  fuller  than  the  right.  Perhaps 
the  last  line  in  paragraphs  are  all  so  short  that  they  add  to  the 
weight  of  the  left  side  of  the  sheet  and  make  the  right  appear  light 
and  white  by  comparison.  And  so  forth,  to  the  detriment  of 
artistic  balance  in  the  letter  picture.  We  are  told  that  balance 
means  rest  and  repose,  and  that  movement  means  action  and 
alertness.  Good.  Do  not  allow  the  one  to  mean  the  rest  and 
repose  of  death,  or  the  other  to  mean  the  activity  and  alertness  of 
wild  oats.  Since  few  English  syllables  are  longer  than  three  or 
four  letters,  there  is  verj'-  small  reason  for  the  typist's  making  the 
righthand  margin  of  your  letter  look  like  a  Rocky  Mountain  cascade. 
Because  business  letters  frequently  include  tabulated  statements, 
there  is  no  reason  at  all  for  your  typist's  making  the  letter  page 
have  the  appearance  of  an  athletic  hop-skip-and-jump.  If  move- 
ment is  rhythmic,  then  balance  is  structural.  If  movement  says 
two,  then  balance  says  couple.  If  movement  means  grace,  then 
balance  means  accord. 

The  Greeks  would  never  have  called  the  New  York  skyline 
beautiful.  They  would  have  conceded  that  it  is  unusual  and 
unique  and  curious.  But  it  too  startlingly  violates  the  Greek 
principle  of  harmony  and  proportion  to  have  been  classed  by 
them  as  a  thing  of  beauty  and  a  joy  forever.  The  Greeks  never 
made  adjacent  heights  and  areas  inordinately  disproportionate  one 
to  another.  Rather,  they  kept  the  ratio  fractional  among  the 
parts  of  a  piece  of  art.  They  held  to  the  vicinal  relationships  in 
mathematical  proportions,  such  as  three,  five,  seven,  eleven. 
Applied  in  general  to  spaces  shaped  like  the  commercial  letter 
sheet,  this  principle  of  harmony  means  that  the  margins  at  top 
and  bottom  should  be  as  seven  to  eleven  respectively ;    those  at 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


left  and  right,  as  five  to  three  respectively.  It  will  be  noted  that 
the  printed  matter  on  the  pages  of  the  best  made  books  are  set  in 
accordance  with  this  principle.  So,  too,  is  the  typed  matter  on 
the  pages  of  the  best  made  letters.  The  harmonious  relationship 
of  areas  also  means,  as  applied  to  the  letter  picture,  that  in  general 
the  form  and  shape  of  the  written  content  on  a  page  should 
correspond  with  the  form  and  shape  of  the  paper  on  which  it  is 
written.  A  short  letter  written  on  the  regular  SJ  by  11  business 
stationery  should  therefore  have  latitude  and  longitude  in  harmony 
with  the  latitude  and  the  longitude  of  the  stationery.  To  write 
a  short  business  letter  on  this  standard  stationery,  in  two  or  three 
long  lines  "  latitudinously,"  and  to  take  no  cognizance  whatever 
of  letter  longitude  in  such  a  case,  is  to  ignore  one  of  the  soundest, 
but  unfortunately  one  of  the  most  frequently  ignored,  principles  of 
Greek  art  as  applied  to  letter  writing.  No  matter  what  varieties 
of  shape  and  size  there  may  be  in  the  stationery,  these  rules  for  the 
harmonious  placement  and  picturization  of  the  letter  content  are 
easily  applicable,  proportionate  modification  being  all  that  is 
necessary. 

The  illustrative  "  motifs  "  on  page  5  may  help  to  concretize 
the  subject  of  letter  latitude  and  longitude. 

Cicero,  the  connoisseur  emeritus  of  letter  writing — business  letter 
writing — said  that  the  content  decides  the  form.  Stated  con- 
versely, this  means  that  the  form  reflects  the  content,  or  should 
do  so.  When  Lanier  wrote  about  the  Chattahoochee,  he  made  his 
writing  sound  like  the  gurgling  waters  of  the  river.  When  Browne 
wrote  about  death  and  immortality  in  his  "  Urn  Burial,"  he  gave 
his  periods  the  stately  cadence  of  an  organ  voluntary.  And  we 
well  enough  know  that  Shakespeare  suited  form  to  fact  and  diction 
to  delineation  with  inimitable  nicety.  This  is  not  to  say  that 
business  letters,  composed  and  typed  under  pressure,  as  they  are 
and  usually  must  be,  can  be  expected  to  be  Homeric  in  message 
and  manner.  But  perhaps  it  is  fair  to  deduce,  that  as  a  man 
thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he  in  his  letters.  As  it  is  the  nature 
of  narrow  minds  to  study  trifles,  and  of  excessive  virtue  somehow  to 
turn  to  vice,  so  working  too  closely  to  ideals  may  conceivably 
produce  dead  perfection,  splendid  nullity,  and  faulty  faultlessness. 

The  upshot  of  it  all  is  this  :  If  we  are  to  have  business  letters  of 
the  people,  for  the  people,  and  by  the  people,  we  shall  do  well  to 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


look  a  little  more  keenly  to  their  form  in  connection  with  and  as  a 
manifestation  of  their  content.  There  is  no  danger  that  there  will 
ever  cease  to  be  an  abundance  of  advice  on  composition.  There 
is  almost  constant  danger  that,  in  our  absorption  with  letter 
subject-matter,  we  may  fail  very  often  to  bring  due  consideration 
to  bear  upon  the  mechanics  of  letter  make-up.  The  latter  must 
be  as  surely  present  as  the  former,  with  this  difference  :  The 
mechanism  must  never  protrude  or  become  evident.  The  reader 
of  a  letter  must  not  be  made  to  think  of  the  mechanics  of  form  any 
more  than  he  is  made  to  think  of  bones  in  looking  at  the  picture 
of  a  beautiful  human  figure.  The  composition  is  man  or  manner, 
individuality  or  personality.  The  mechanism  is  mode  or  method, 
procedure  or  maneuver.  Until  the  two  are  one,  in  a  unity  of 
unconscious  yet  apparent  interdependence,  we  shall  have  to  wait 
for  the  letters  that  may  be  counted  upon  to  fool  none  of  the 
people  none  of  the  time. 


So  much  for  the  letter  picture  in  tfee  large.  The  mechanical 
details  of  placement  and  partitioning  will  be  treated  seriatim 
below  under  the  following  headings  : 

1.  Heading. 

2.  Inside  address. 

3.  Salutation. 

4.  Body. 

5.  Complimentary  closing. 

6.  Signature. 

7.  Annotations. 

The  Heading 

The  heading  on  printed  letterheads  may  be  written  in  various 
ways.     The  following  headings  illustrate  a  few  of  the  variations  : 

1930 

November  15,   1930.  June 

First 


19  3  0  December  March  twenty-first 

May    12  Eleventh  19  3     0 

19    3    0 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  date  line  that  was  once  printed  as  part  of  the  business 
letterhead  has  practically  fallen  out  of  use  except  on  billheads. 
When  used,  it  should  be  set  as  follows  in  the  lower  righthand 
corner  of  the  letterhead  : 

Philadelphia 19 

The  heading,  written  entirely  by  hand  or  by  the  typist  on  plain 
letter  sheets,  may  also  follow  any  one  of  a  variety  of  styles  : 

183  Fiske  Avenue, 

Chicago,  Illinois, 

October  30.   1930. 


321  Southern  Boulevard 
New  York  City 
June  3,   1930 


225  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland,  Ohio 
December  15,   1930 


December  15,   1930 
225  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland,   Ohio 


25  Broadway,  New  York  City 
January  18,   1930 


225  Chestnut  Street 
Philadelphia  Pa. 

February  10       1930 


The  heading  was  formerly  always  placed  in  the  upper  right- 
hand  corner  of  the  letter.  Modem  letter  usage,  however,  permits 
the  typist  to  place  it  in  the  center  at  the  top,  and  at  other  places 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


as  well.  The  illustrative  letters  reproduced  in  this  book  show 
what  liberties  may  be  taken  with  the  placement  of  this  letter  part. 
It  is  improper  to  place  the  date  between  the  two  place  lines,  as 
follows  : 

16  Lenox  Avenue 

November  18,   1930 

New  York  City 

Except  in  those  cases  where  the  date  line  is  used,  the  heading 
generally  consists  of  two  or  three  lines.  The  margin  of  the  heading 
may  be  vertical  or  diagonal.  Since  the  heading  is  the  first  part 
written  in  the  letter,  it  estabhshes  the  marginal  style  that  should 
be  followed  in  writing  the  other  letter  parts,  and  the  address  on 
the  envelope. 

The  most  important  rule  in  regard  to  the  punctuation  of  the 
letter  parts  is :  Be  consistent.  There  is  probably  no  greater 
mechanical  weakness  in  business  letter  writing  than  that  of  careless 
and  inconsistent  punctuation.  Every  business  house  should 
establish,  thru  its  correspondence  supervisor,  some  rigid  and 
definite  policy  as  to  the  punctuation  of  its  letters.  According  to 
the  .old  conservative  style  of  punctuation,  a  comma  is  placed 
after  every  separate  unit  of  time  and  place  in  letter  parts  except 
the  last,  which  is  followed  by  a  period  : 


324  Putnam  Avenue,     (in) 
New  York  City,      (on) 
May  12,     (in)     1930. 


The  comma  in  such  usage  takes  the  place  of  an  omitted  word, 
as  it  frequently  does  in  the  punctuation  of  straight  copy. 

When  the  final  marks  of  punctuation  are  omitted  from  letter 
parts,  the  letter  is  said  to  follow  open  punctuation.  When  the 
final  marks  are  used  thruout,  the  letter  is  said  to  follow  closed 
punctuation.  The  tendency  at  present  in  business  correspondence 
is  to  use  the  open  style.  Some  houses  go  so  far  as  to  omit  the 
colon  after  the  salutation,  the  comma  after  the  complimentary 
closing,  and  the  period  after  paragraphs  that  end  with  declarative 
sentences. 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


222  East  Tenth  Street 

New  York  City 

June   15,    1930 

Messrs.   James  and 

Jay 

14  Sterling 

Place 

New  York 

City 

Gentlemen 

Thank  you 

for  the  Rio  Grande  statement 

We  shall  give  it  a  thorogoing  examination,  as  you 

request,  and  let  you  hear  from  us  in  a  few  days 

Your  promptness  in 

L  getting  it  to  us  is  very  much 

appreciated 

indeed 

Very  truly  yours 

Samuel  Brown 

for 
The  Lash  Company 

SB**C 

This  may  be  a  somewhat  too  radical  departure  from  accepted 
form  to  be  given  sanction,  but  it  is  not  illogical. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  comma  is  retained  between  the  date 
of  the  month  and  the  year,  even  in  open  punctuation.  It  should 
also  be  retained  between  the  name  of  a  city  and  the  name  or 
abbreviation  of  a  state,  when  both  stand  on  one  line.  Its  retention 
in  these  places  is  necessary  to  prevent  the  figures  in  the  one  case  or 
the  names  in  the  other  from  running  together,  unless  they  are  sep- 
arated by  somewhat  awkward  spacing.  In  case  the  date  precedes 
the  name  of  the  month,  then  the  comma,  too,  may  be  omitted : 

10  June  1930 

There  is  an  increasing  tendency  to  use  the  open  style  of  punctua- 
tion with  the  blocked  form  of  margining,  and  the  closed  style  of 
punctuation  with  the  diagonal  form. 

It  is  customary  in  England  to  place  a  comma  between  the 
street  number  and  the  name  of  the  street,  the  comma  standing  for 
the  word  on  : 

321,  Oxford  Street 

London 

England 

But  this  is  hardly  an  allowable  usage  in  America. 

10 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Numbers  should  not  be  preceded  by#  or  No.  The  abbreviations 
th,  nd,  rd,  d,  ult.,  prox.,  inst.,  are  going  out  of  use.  Some  houses 
still  use  them,  however,  for  indicating  the  ordinal  in  connection 
with  the  name  of  a  street,  and  with  a  date  when  it  precedes  the 
name  of  the  month  :  The  15th  of  April  .  .  .  23rd  Street.  But 
they  are  useless  at  best.  They  do  not  aid  the  eye ;  they  do  not 
assist  the  understanding  ;  they  may  retard  and  confuse  the  reading 
of  a  heading  or  an  address.  The  heading  (and  what  is  said  here 
pertains  to  the  address  also)  should  be  stated  in  the  simplest 
terms  possible,  consistent  with  completeness.  It  should  be  stripped 
of  all  useless  signs  and  letters.  It  is  "  to  be  seen  rather  than 
heard,"  and  such  suffixes  as  these  under  discussion  may  please 
the  ear,  but  the  eye  is  indifferent  to  them. 

Some  device  may  be  resorted  to,  to  prevent  the  house  number 
and  the  street  number  from  running  together,  in  those  addresses 
where  figures  are  used  to  indicate  both.  It  is  the  rule  of  some 
firms  that  the  names  of  numbered  streets  and  avenues  shall  be 
written  out  when  the  name  consists  of  one  word  only.  Other 
firms  rule  that  all  such  names  up  to  and  including  ten  or  twelve 
,  (tenth  or  twelfth)  shall  be  written  out : 

120  Seventh  Avenue 

1445  Fourteenth  Street 

114  Fifteenth  ^venue 

139  West  72  Street 

139  West  Seventy-second  Street 

181 12th  Street 

The  dates  are  sometimes  spelled  out  in  full  in  official  and  formal 
social  notes  : 

January  Twelfth 
Nineteen  Hundred  Thirty  ' 

It  is  permissible  to  refer  to  the  month  by  number  alone,  in  short 
interdepartment  notes,  but  it  should  never  be  so  referred  to  in 
letters  : 

May  10.   1930 

should  not  be  written 

5/10/30 

in  the  heading  of  a  business  letter. 

n 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


In  America,  the  month  is  usually  referred  to  first  in  abbreviating 
a  date  in  this  way.     Abroad,  the  day  is  usually  referred  to  first : 

American May  10,   1930 

European 10  May,   1930 

Hence,  in  England,  5/10/30  means  October  5,  1930  ;  in  America, 
it  means  May  10,  1930. 


The  Inside  Address 

The  following  inside  address  forms  are  correct : 

Mr.  John  J.  Ogden, 

325  Bleecker  Street, 
New  York  City. 


Mr.  James  McKay 

15  West  Twelfth  Street 

Cleveland 

Ohio 


John  J.   Ogden,   Esq. 
325  BleA:ker  Street 
New  York  City 
New  York 


Mrs.  John  J.  Ogden 

c/o  C.  R.  Briggs  and  Company 

1817  Market  Street 

Philadelphia 


Isaac  Pitman  and  Sons 
2  West  Forty-fifth  Street 
New  York  City 

It  is  not  necessary  to  write  the  name  of  the  state  in  the  inside 
address  or  in  the  envelope  address  when  letters  are  intended  for 
such  large  cities  as  Chicago  and  New  York  City.  The  latter  is  a 
perfectly  correct  form,  and  has  come  into  general  use.  If  New 
York  is  used  for  New  York  City,  it  should  be  followed  by  N.Y.,  or 

12 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


by  New  York,  to  indicate  the  state.     But  the  first  of  these  two 
examples  is  to  be  preferred  : 

James  J.  Johnson,  Esq. 
285  Columbus  Avenue 
New  York  City 

James  J.  Johnson,  Esq. 
285  Columbus  Avenue 
New  York 

N.Y. 

Note  that  the  diagonal  margin  in  the  first  address  recedes  evenly 
on  the  lefthand  side.  It  is  impossible  to  make  it  recede  evenly  on 
the  righthand  side,  except  in  printed  addresses.  The  stamp  books 
issued  by  the  United  States  Post  Office  Department  carry  illus- 
trative addresses  that  are  regular  on  the  righthand  side  but 
irregular  on  the  lefthand  side,  as  follows  : 

Mr.  Frank  B.  Jones, 

2416  Front  Street, 

Oswego, 

Ohio. 

This  is  not  the  best  form  ;  it  is  impossible  of  ready  achievement 
by  the  typist,  and  it  is  probably  not  so  easily  read  by  mail  clerks 
as  the  address  that  is  regular  on  the  lefthand  side.  The  blocked 
form  of  address  is,  however,  preferable  to  either  of  the  diagonal 
styles. 

The  inside  address  should  correspond  exactly  with  the  address 
on  the  envelope  (see  page  38).  What  is  said  here  regarding  the 
inside  address  applies  in  the  majority  of  instances,  therefore,  to 
the  address  on  the  envelope. 

Two  street  names  in  an  address  may  be  connected  by  and  or 
at,  by  &,  or  by  a  dash.  The  last  two  are  not  to  be  recommended. 
It  is  somewhat  better  usage  in  such  combination  addresses  to  place 
first  the  names  of  avenues  or  the  more  important  of  the  two 
thorofares  indicated  : 

Market  and  Fifteenth  Streets 
Fifth  Avenue  at  Tenth  Street 
Fifth  Avenue     and     37  Street 

Seventh  Avenue Twelfth  Street 

Fulton  Street  &  Hanson  Place 

13 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


In  social,  official,  and  extremely  formal  letters,  the  inside  address 
may  be  placed  in  the  lower  lefthand  part  of  the  letter  sheet.  But 
in  business  correspondence  generally,  it  belongs  on  the  lefthand 
margin,  a  line  or  two  below  the  heading,  and  a  line  or  two  above 
the  salutation.  In  a  letter  of  more  than  one  page,  the  inside 
address  should  be  placed  in  both  of  the  positions  here  indicated. 
This  enables  a  reader  to  see  whom  a  letter  is  from  without  turning 
pages. 

Miss  is  used  in  addressing  a  single  woman.  Mrs.  is  used  in 
addressing  a  married  woman.  The  former  is  not  an  abbreviation  ; 
the  latter  is.  The  words  Misses,  Ladies,  Mesdames  are  used  in 
addressing  two  or  more  women.  These  may  be  preceded  by  the 
article  The  : 

The  Misses  Browning 
Misses  Butler  and  McBain 
Mesdames  Craig  and  Ingersoll 

Mr.  is  used  in  addressing  a  man.  In  an  address,  however,  a 
man's  name  may  be  followed  with  Esq.  instead  of  preceded  by  Mr. 
It  is  incorrect  to  use  both  Mr.  and  Esq.  The  latter  is  largely  used 
in  the  British  Empire,  and  it  is  a  commendable  courtesy  to  use  this 
abbreviation  in  American  letters  that  are  addressed  to  British  men. 
Messrs.,  abbreviation  of  the  French  Messieurs,  is  used  in  addressing 
two  or  more  men.  This  abbreviation  should  never  be  written 
Mess,  or  Messers.  It  should  always  be  followed  with  a  period. 
The  use  of  Messrs.,  it  should  be  noted,  is  preferably  confined  to 
groups  of  individuals  constituting  a  partnership,  as,  for  instance, 
in  legal  and  other  professional  partnerships.  It  should  never  be 
used  before  the  name  of  a  corporation  or  other  business  organization. 
Some  authorities  confine  its  use  to  legal  partnerships  : 

Messrs.  Carmody  and  Cars  well 
Attomeys-at-Law 

Note  also  the  following  : 

The  Edwards  and  Harrigan  Company 

Edwards  and  Harrigan  Company 

Thomas  Crimmins,  Inc. 

John  Wanamaker 

The  Messrs.  Shubert 
not  Messrs.  Edwards  and  Harrigan  Company 
not  Messrs.  Jhomas  Crimmins,  Inc. 
not  Mr.  John  Wanamaker  (when  addressing  the  business) 

14 


THE  PICTURE  OE  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


The  abbreviation  Dr.  is  used  before  a  doctor's  name  and  before 
the  name  of  one  who  has  taken  the  doctorate  degree  from  an 
educational  institution.  The  abbreviation  Rev.  or  Rt.  Rev.  (Right 
Reverend)  is  used  before  a  minister's  name  ;  Prof,  before  a  professor's 
name;  Hon.  before  the  name  of  a  statesman  or  anyone  who  is 
prominent  in  civic  affairs  ;  Gen.  before  a  general's  name.  These 
abbreviated  forms  should  be  used  with  full  names  only.  When 
last  names  are  used,  the  words  for  which  the  abbreviations  stand 
should  be  written  out : 

Prof.  Henry  Seidel  Canby 
Professor  Canby 

Dr.  Murray  Bass 
Doctor  Bass 

Gen.  C.  K.  Donohue 
General  Donohue 

The  words  The  or  His  are  frequently  used  with  the  regular 
form  of  address  in  addressing  officials  of  state.  One  or  the  other 
is  usually  used  in  foreign  countries  : 

The  Honorable  Woodrow  Wilson 
His  Honor,  The  Mayor  of  Boston 
The  Honorable  Whitelaw  Reid 

The  following  special  forms  of  address  should  be  used  in  connection 
with  the  names  of  persons  in  high  civic  and  religious  position  : 

His  Holiness  Pope  Benedict  XV 
His  Eminence  Cardinal  Gibbons 
Most  Reverend  Archbishop  Hayes 
Right  Reverend  Bishop  Darlington 
Very  Reverend  Dean  Stotesbury 
Reverend  G.  Campbell  Morgan 

(The  word  the  may  be  used  before  any  of  the  last  four  titles.) 

The  President 

or 
The  President  of  the  United  States 
The  White  House 
Washington,  D.C. 


Honorable  James  G.  Blaine 
Secretary  of  State 
Washington,  D.C. 

15 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


His  Excellency 
Ambassador  George  Harvey 
4  Grosvenor  Gardens 
London.  S.W.I 


Honorable  Robert  C.  Jones 
Senate  Chamber 
The  Capitol 
Washington,  D.C. 

or 
Senator  Robert  C.  Jones 
United  States  Senate 
Washington,  D.C. 


Honorable  Thomas  R.  Greene 
Assembly  Chamber 
The  Capitol 
Washington,  D.C. 

or 
Assemblyman  Thomas  R.  Greene 

or 
Representative  Thomas  R.  Greene 
House  of  Representatives 
Washington,  D.C. 

or 
Honorable  Thomas  R.  Greene 
Assembly  Chamber 

United  States  House  of  Representatives 
Washington,  D.C. 


His  Excellency  Alfred  C.  Smith 
Governor's  Mansion 
Albany,  New  York 


His  Honor,  Mayor  John  F.  Hylan 
City  Hall,  New  York  City 

or 
Honorable  John  F.  Hylan 
Mayor  of  New  York  City 
City  Hall 

The  use  of  The  before  Honorable  makes  the  address  somewhat 
more  formal.  It  is  not  the  best  form  to  abbreviate  Honorable 
before  the  name  of  a  high  civic  official. 

Official  and  academic  titles  are  preferably  not  used  after  names 
in  writing  addresses.  This  rule  is  of  special  importance  when  the 
name  in  an  address  is  preceded  by  some  abbreviated  title  that 
would  indicate  the  same  status  as  the  one  used  after  it.     But 

16 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


titles  indicating  different  kinds  of  position  or  achievement  are 
sometimes  used,  one  before  the  name  and  one  after  it.  Exception 
is  made  to  the  single  title  most  frequently  in  addressing  the 
members  of  religious  professions  : 

Dr.  John  R.  Cope,  Chairman 

Prof.  Harry  M,  Love,  Secretary 

James  Harriman,  M.A. 

Rev.  Arthur  L.  Shaw,  D.D. 

Prof.  James  Harriman 

Mrs.  Alhson  Clarkson,  President  of  the  Ladies  Aid 

While  this  rule  of  one  title  only  with  a  name  holds  very  strictly 
in  this  country,  it  does  not  do  so  in  England  and  other  European 
countries.  Titles  of  the  same  kind  are  frequently  used  before  and 
after  names  in  foreign  addresses. 

In  writing  reports  and  statements  it  is  very  often  necessary  to 
use  a  form  of  address  that  is  general  rather  than  individual : 

To  the  Officers 

of  The  Standard  Oil  Company 
of  New  Jersey 

To  the  Directors  of  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company 
Rochester 

New  York 

It  is  well  to  remember  in  writing  addresses  that  many  people  are 
extremely  (if  foolishly)  sensitive  about  the  correct  spelling  of  their 
names,  and  about  correct  form  in  addresses  of  which  their  names 
are  a  part.  Firm  names  should  be  written  with  accuracy.  It  is 
advisable  for  the  typist  to  follow  the  spelling  and  hyphenation 
(if  any)  in  the  letterhead  of  a  firm.  Some  firms  insist  that  Company 
be  written  out ;  others  use  the  abbreviation  Co.  Some  firms 
carry  The  as  part  of  the  firm,  name  ;  some  use  &  instead  of  and 
in  connecting  firm  names ;  some  separate  firm  names  by  commas, 
and  some  do  not.  While  these  may  seem  to  be  trivial  details, 
they  have  nevertheless  been  known  to  loom  large  on  the  horizon 
of  certain  business  offices.  The  importance  of  accuracy  in  the 
writing  of  addresses  cannot  be  too  strongly  emphasized.  Our 
postal  department  has  spent  as  much  as  $5,000,000.  a  year  in 
the  correction  of  addresses.  Approximately  325,000  pieces  of 
insufficiently  addressed  mail  are  received  daily  in  the  New  York 
Post  Office  alone. 

17 

2~(429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  rules  for  the  punctuation  of  the  inside  address  are  the  same 
as  those  for  the  heading  {see  page  10). 

The  Salutation 

The  following  forms  of  salutation  are  used  in  business 
correspondence  : 

Dear  Sir  :  Dear  Madam  : 

Dear  Sirs  :  Dear  Ladies  : 

Gentlemen  :  Dear  Mesdames  : 

Sir  :  •     Ladies  : 

Sirs  :  Mesdames  : 

My  dear  Sir  :  My  dear  Madam  : 

My  dear  Sirs  :  My  dear  Ladies  : 

Dear  Sir  or  Madam  :  Sirs  and  Mesdames  : 

Dear  Sir  and  Madam  :  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

Gentlemen  is  the  preferred  form  of  salutation  when  more  than 
one  man  is  addressed.  Its  use  is  also  permissible  in  connection 
with  the  name  of  a  firm  composed  of  a  lady  and  a  gentleman,  or 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen.  Sir  and  Sirs,  Mesdames  and  Ladies  are 
confined  almost  exclusively  to  formal  and  official  correspondence. 
They  are  sometimes  indicative  of  estranged  relationships. 

Madam  may  be  used  for  either  a  married  or  an  unmarried  woman. 
The  three-word  salutation  should  rarely,  if  ever,  be  used  in  business 
letters.  When  it  is  used,  the  middle  word  dear  may  or  may  not 
be  capitalized.  The  better  usage  requires  that  it  be  written  with 
small  letter.  In  formal  official  correspondence  the  following  styles 
of  salutation  may  be  used,  according  to  the  class  or  station  of  the 
individual  addressed  : 

Sir  :  Honorable  Sir  : 

Reverend  Sir:  Your  Excellency  : 

Honored  Sir: 


In  informal  official  letters  the  salutation  may  take  on  the  more 
intimate  tone  of 

Dear  Senator  :  Dear  Father  Cahill  :        Dear  Doctor  James  : 

In  addressing  a  firm  or  corporation  it  is  correct  form  to  use  a 

18 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE.  BUSINESS  LETTER 


plural  salutation,   even  tho  the  firm  may  conduct  its  business 
under  the  name  of  a  single  individual : 

John  Wanamaker 
Broadway  at  Ninth  Street 
New  York  City 

Gentlemen  : 

Inasmuch  as  the  individual  name  in  this  case  is  a  company 
name,  it  is  not  preceded  by  Mr.  or  Messrs. 

The  salutation  should  be  written  from  the  lefthand  margin, 
a  space  or  two  below  the  inside  address.  It  should  never  be  run-in 
with  the  diagonal  margining  of  the  inside  address  : 

The  New  York  Evening  Post,  The  New  York  Evening  Post 

20  Vesey  Street 
20  Vesey  Street,  or     New  York  City 

New  York  City.  Gentlemen  : 

Gentlemen  : 

not     The  New  York  Evening  Post,     or     The  New  York  Evening  Post 

20  Vesey  Street 
20  Vesey  Street.  New  York  City 

Gentlemen 
New  York  City 

Gentlemen  : 

The  colon  is  the  preferred  mark  of  punctuation  after  the  saluta- 
tion in  business  letters.  Tho  it  is  better  never  to  use  punctuation 
marks  in  combination,  the  colon  after  the  salutation  should  be 
followed  with  a  dash,  in  case  the  letter  begins  on  the  same  line 
with  the  salutation.  This  will  help  to  make  the  reading  matter 
stand  apart.  But  this  style  of  letter  opening  has  practically  fallen 
out  of  use.  There  is  a  growing  tendency  to  omit  all  punctuation 
after  the  salutation  and  after  the  complimentary  closing  in  letters 
in  which  the  open  style  of  punctuation  and  the  blocked  form  of 
paragraphing  are  used. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  add  that  such  abbreviations  as  the  following, 
used  alone  as  salutations,  are  illiterate  and  impolite  : 

Messrs.  Gents  : 

Miss  :  S'r  : 

19 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  Body 

The  various  points  at  which  the  body  of  the  business  letter  may 
be  started  are  clearly  indicated  in  the  facsimile  illustrations  of 
letters  in  various  places  in  this  book.  There  should  be  an  established 
house  rule  in  regard  to  the  letter  style  to  be  followed  in  this  particular, 
and  it  should  be  enforced  uniformly. 

Paragraphs  should  be  short,  and  clearly  marked  apart,  so  that 
they  will  stand  out  in  distinct  and  arresting  fashion.  The  body  of 
the  business  letter  should  suggest  by  its  regularity  of  line  and  its 
compactness  of  setting,  that  the  thought  contained  in  the  letter 
has  been  thoroly  focused  and  ordered  in  the  mind  of  the  dictator. 
It  should,  in  short,  be  complimentary  to  the  thought  expressed. 
The  thought,  in  turn,  should  show  itself  worthy  of  the  most 
readable  and  inviting  form.  Sufficient  has  been  said  in  the  early 
part  of  this  chapter,  in  the  next  chapter,  and  in  the  body  of  each 
of  the  reproduced  letters,  about  the  picturing  and  the  composing 
of  the  business  letter,  to  make  further  comment  here  unnecessary. 

The  Complimentary  Closing 

The  following  complimentary  closings  are  good  : 

Very  truly  yours,  Yours  sincerely, 

Yours  very  truly,  Cordially  yours, 

Truly  yours.  Yours  cordially, 

Yours  truly.  Respectfully  yours, 

Sincerely  yours.  Yours  respectfully. 

Very  truly  yours  and  Yours  very  truly  are  given  preference  in  this 
country.  Respectfully  yours  is  used  chiefly  in  official  letters. 
Respectfully  submitted  is  used  in  submitting  statements  and  reports. 
Cordially  yours  and  Sincerely  yours  are  generally  used  to  indicate 
a  previous  or  a  continuous  relationship — a  business  relationship  of 
regular  and  satisfactory  standing.  But  this  rule  is  by  no  means 
strictly  observed. 

The  first  word  of  the  complimentary  closing,  and  no  other, 
should  always  be  capitalized  ;  and  except  in  those  cases  where  the 
open  punctuation  is  followed  thruout,  the  complimentary  closing 
should  be  followed  with  a  comma  {see  page  10).  The  placement 
of  the  complimentary  closing  should  follow  one  of  the  forms  illus- 
trated in  the  reproduced  letters  in  this  book.  As  a  rule,  it  should 
be  aligned  with  the  heading,  or  with  some  other  letter  part,  in 

20    ' 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


order  to  reduce  the  number  of  vertical  lines  of  a  letter  to  a  minimum. 
Some  firms  make  it  a  practice  to  leave  but  a  single  space  between 
the  last  line  of  the  letter  and  the  complimentary  closing,  in  order 
to  prevent  the  addition  of  matter  that  may  have  been  overlooked 
in  the  letter  composition,  or  that  may  be  inserted  without  authority 
Usually,  the  complimentary  closing  is  placed  on  a  line  by  itself 
a  space  or  two  below  the  last  line  of  the  body  of  the  letter. 

In  foreign  letters,  the  complimentary  closing  is  commonly 
elaborated  to  a  highly  formal  and  conventional  degree.  Such 
complimentary  closings  as  the  following  are  not  at  all  unusual : 

Believe  me,  sir, 

Your  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 

Your  most  respectful  and  obedient  servant. 

Even  in  American  official  correspondence,  such  high-flown  forms 
as  these  are  rarely  followed.  How  far  it  is  desirable  for  an 
American  firm  to  go  in  its  foreign  correspondence  toward  adjusting 
letter  tone  to  the  foreign  custom,  must  be  settled  within  the  walls 
of  each  individual  house.  It  has  been  estimated  that  Americans 
spend  $10,000,000.  a  year  on  the  word  please  and  other  forms  of 
courtesy  in  their  letters  and  telegrams.  Yet,  they  have  been  called 
the  most  impolite  of  peoples  !  It  can  do  no  harm,  certainly, 
to  meet  the  foreign  correspondent  halfway  at  least  in  the 
complimentary  closing  (see  page  53). 

The  attachment  of  such  words  as  and  oblige  or  /  remain  to  the 
complimentary  closing  in  business  letters  serves  no  worthy  purpose, 
and  is  more  likely  to  harm  letter  tone  than  to  help  it.  Such 
additions  are  especially  bad  when  they  are  connected  with  the 
hackneyed  complimentary  closing.     Do  not  use 

Trusting  that  the  matter  will  be  satisfactory,  I  am 
Yours  truly. 

It  is  a  waste  of  space.  It  incurs  a  waste  of  time.  It  frequently 
endangers  grammatical  construction,  for  this  "  weak-kneed 
getaway  "  usually  gets  itself  wrongly  punctuated,  as  follows  : 

Trusting  that  the  matter  will  be  satisfactory,  I  am, 
Yours  truly, 

or  even  worse,  wrongly  constructed,  as  follows  : 

Trusting  that  the  matter  will  be  satisfactory. 
Yours  truly. 

21 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


And,  of  course,  such  abbreviated  complimentary  closings  as 
Yrs.  and  Res'y.  are  illiterate  and  impolite. 

The  Signature 

The  signatures  reproduced  on  the  following  page  indicate  the 
best  practice  in  this  part  of  the  business  letter.  The  elaborate 
closing  preceding  the  third  signature  is  reproduced  from  a  European 
letter.  More  liberties  are  taken  with  this  part  of  the  letter  than 
with  any  other,  and  they  are  permissible,  of  course,  because  a 
signature  is  a  personal  and  individual  form  of  expression.  The 
placement  of  the  signature  is  clearly  indicated  in  the  illustrative 
letters  in  this  book,  as  well  as  in  the  reproductions  opposite.  It 
should  follow  the  complimentary  closing,  and  should  be  separated 
from  it  by  a  space  or  two,  or  more.  It  should  hold  to  the  style 
of  margining  established  thruout  the  letter.  It  may  or  may  not 
be  followed  with  a  period.  Few  men  probably  stop  to  add  a  period 
after  their  names.  Signatures  are  made,  as  a  rule,  in  a  somewhat 
hurried  and  straightaway  stroke  of  the  pen,  and  punctuation  is 
really  no  part  of  a  signature. 

Degrees  and  titles  should  not  be  written  before  or  after  a  signature, 
but  the  official  capacity  of  one  who  signs  a  business  letter  is  generally 
written  in  by  the  typist.  This  may  stand  on  the  same  line  as  the 
signature  itself,  but  it  is  preferably  placed  on  a  line  below  and  to 
the  right  of  the  signature.  In  case  a  letter  is  signed  by  some  one 
for  another,  as  by  a  secretary  for  his  superior  officer,  the  fact  should 
be  indicated  by  the  same  method.  And  in  case  a  letter  is  written 
by  some  one  for  another,  the  one  who  writes  it  may  sign  it  with 
his  own  name,  and  follow  his  signature  on  the  line  below  with  the 
typed  name  of  the  one  for  whom  it  is  written,  preceded  by  For  or 
Per  or  Pro  or  p.p.  In  all  business  letters,  the  name  of  the  person 
who  signs  should  be  typed  in  full,  either  directly  below  the  signature 
proper,  or  in  the  lower  lefthand  corner  along  with  the  typist's 
initials.  The  word  signed  is  sometimes  written  in  parentheses 
before  a  signature  to  guarantee  its  genuineness,  to  insure 
authenticity,  or  to  impress  the  importance  of  authority.  It 
should  be  capitalized,  but  it  is  unneccessary  to  place  a  colon 
after  it : 

(Signed)     Robert  J.  Forster 
22 


A  variety  of  keyed  and  certified  signatures. 


EPKtLIV 
EticIs. 


James  W.  Egan 
EMS 


Yours  very   tru; 

CARNA'DIW  MILK  PRODUCTS  CO, 


arwnent . 


Very  truly  yours, 

BUREAU  OF  &MLBKET  ANALYSIS,    INC., 


^71A  <^Y^ 


ce-President 


PGD/13286, 


We   are.    Sir, 
Tours   obediently. 


MUDIE'S  SELECT  LIBBARY  LTD. 


Walter  Sammis/w 


TiBj  7hrift/MP 


very  xtmiy   yours 
ASSOCIATED  ADVERTISING, 

Editor. 


Tours  sincerely. 


Editor  &  Manager. 
THE  MAI  LB  AG   PUBLISHING   COI^PANY 


yours, 

^  / 

EDViAKDlB.    SHALLOW 


23 


BUSINESS    LETTER   PRACTICE 


Very  truly  yours, 
KELLY-SPR^NGiPIELD  TIRE  CO. 

Assistant  to   the 
Advertising  Manager. 


JRMCLrDW 
End. 


Yours  very  truly. 


A.    EMERSON  PALMER, 
Secretary,  Board  of  EdiicatioYi. 


Sincerely  yours, 

Eric  Sohuler, 
Secretary 


Rarely  should  a  surname  be  preceded  by  one  initial  only.  /.  B. 
Owens  is  good.  John  B.  Owens  is  good.  /.  Owens  is  not  a  good 
signature.     The  rubber  stamp  signature  should  never  be  used. 

A  woman  should  never  sign  her  name  by  initials  only,  for  it  may 
not  be  possible  to  tell  whether  the  signature  is  that  of  a  man  or 
a  woman.  A  married  woman  should  place  in  parentheses  before 
or  below  her  name,  the  name  by  which  she  is  known  in  marriage. 
An  unmarried  woman  should  place  Miss  in  parentheses  before 
or  below  her  name  : 

Sara  A.  Pitman 

(Mrs.  John  J.) 
Sara  A.  Pitman 
(Mrs.  John  J.  Pitman) 
*  (Miss)  Evelyn  Renault 

Annotations 

For  purposes  of  verification,  reference,  filing,  and  other  clerical 
convenience,  the  business  letter  carries  various  forms  of  annotations. 
The  most  general  of  these  are  the  initials  of  those  immediately 
concerned  in  the  production  of  the  letter,  and  the  most  general 
placement  is  in  the  lower  lefthand  corner,  a  space  or  two  below  the 
hne   on  which   the   data  of  the  signature  stand.     The  dictator's 

24 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


initials  are  placed  first ;  the  typist's  last.  Full  initials  are  some- 
times used  ;  sometimes  the  initial  of  the  last  name  only.  Some- 
times typists,  especially  in  offices  where  large  numbers  are  employed, 
are  indicated  by  numbers  instead  of  initials.  The  following  illustrate 
some  of  the  most  common  usages  in  making  these  annotations  : 

JBO/IR  0*********R 

O/R  O R 

0/12  JBO  X  IR 

In  case  a  letter  is  signed  by  some  one  other  than  the  one  who 

dictates  it,  three  designations  may  be  used  in  the  lower  lefthand 

corner.     A   letter   signed   by   John   Brown,    dictated   by   Samuel 

Perkins,   and   typed  by   Jennie   Adams,   would  thus   carry   data 

somewhat  as  follows  : 

JB/SP/JA  or  JB:SP--JA  or  JB-SP-JA 

The  following  form,  or  one  similar  to  it : 

Dictated  by to date subject 

is  sometimes  printed  on  business  stationery,  either  at  the  top  of 
the  sheet  or  at  the  bottom,  to  be  filled  in  by  the  typist  when  the 
letter  is  written.  A  variation  of  this  form,  now  in  more  or  less 
common  use  in  business  correspondence,  provides  for  pagination 
and  addressee's  name,  the  initialing  of  dictator  and  typist  being 
placed  in  the  lower  lefthand  corner  : 

To regarding date page 

Some  kind  of  running  title  should  always  be  used  in  letters  that 
extend  to  more  than  one  page  in  length.  This  facilitates  reference, 
and  serves  as  a  collection  key,  in  case  sheets  become  separated. 
The  following  are  taken  from  actual  business  correspondence  : 

Kerner  Brothers Page  2 

Re  Cloth  Order 7/23/30 Page  4 

T.V.S Statement 3/5/30 Page  6 

The  following  form  is  used  in  military  correspondence.  It  is 
placed  just  below  the  printed  letterhead,  usually  in  the  lefthand 
side  : 

From 

To 

Subject 

Date 


In  case  a  letter  is  dictated  one  day  and  is  not  mailed  until  the 

25 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


following  day  or  later,  it  is  the  custom  of  some  houses  to  note  this 

in  the  heading  of  their  letters,  as  follows  : 

Dictated    June  20,  1930 
Mailed       June  21,  1930 

If  additional  matter  is  enclosed  in  a  letter,  or  sent  separately, 

note  should  be  made  in  the  lower  lefthand  comer  of  a  letter,  below 

the  initials,  in  some  way  such  as  the  following  : 

End.  Two  Enclosures 

Ends.  Check  Enclosed 

Enclosure  (2  Enclosures) 


Catalog  Mailed  Samples  expressed 

Goods  Forwarded  Salesman  notified 

Business  stationers  supply  attractive  and  individual  stamps  to 
call  attention  to  the  fact  that  supplementary  matter  is  enclosed 
or  sent  separately.  These  devices  may  be  pasted  in  the  lower  left- 
hand  part  of  the  letter,  and  they  may  be  worked  out  and  placed  in 
such  a  way  as  to  add  character  and  distinction  to  a  business  com- 
munication. Chief  among  their  values  may  be  their  rendering 
unnecessary  the  time-worn  expressions  "  Price  list  enclosed  "and 
"  Under  separate  cover." 

The  lower  lefthand  corner  of  the  business  letter  may  be  used  for 
the  purpose  of  indicating  serialization  or  sequence  of  letters. 
Letters  or  figures  or  adapted  words  may  be  used  for  this  purpose. 
The  aim  of  the  business  letter  writer  should  be,  however,  to  keep 
annotations  at  a  minimum.  The  reader  should  not  have  his 
attention  to  the  main  content  of  the  letter  distracted  by  mechanical 
devices  of  any  sort.  Sometimes  a  test  key  is  carried  in  this  position  ; 
sometimes  a  classification  key  for  differentiation  among  classes  of 
prospects  and  customers  ;  sometimes,  and  especially  in  sales  letters, 
a  brief  note  or  suggestion  by  way  of  postcript  may  be  placed  here, 
or  run  across  the  bottom  of  the  page  below  all  other  matter. 

The  "  Dictated  but  not  signed  "  annotation,  that  some  years  ago 
threatened  to  invade  business  correspondence,  has  fortunately 
fallen  almost  completely  out  of  use.  It  savored  rather  too  strongly 
of  inconsideration  and  impoliteness,  to  be  "  highly  acceptable  " 
to  the  recipient  of  a  letter.  Some  men,  however,  in  the  event  of 
their  being  obliged  to  absent  themselves  from  their  offices  before 
typists  have  completed  the  day's  letters,  still  have  their  letters 
stamped  with  some  message  similar  to  the  following  : 

26 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Dictated  by  Mr 

but  signed  in  his  absence 

or     Personally  dictated  but  not  signed 
by  Mr 

or     Dictated  but  not  signed  by  Mr 

But  such  mechanical  devices  and  procedures  would  seem  to 
out-routine  routine.  They  are  not  used  by  considerate  and 
constructive  letter  writers. 

Such  annotations  as  the  following  should  be  placed  at  or  near 
the  top  of  business  letters,  because  they  are  especially  calculated 
for  the  convenience  of  the  one  who  receives  the  letter.  They 
facilitate  the  routing  of  a  letter,  and  thus  hasten  the  correspondence 
sequence  : 

File  number  31a 

Please  mention  RSB32 

In  your  reply  please  refer  to  837 

In  writing  about  this  matter  please  refer  to  remittance  8472 

The  reference  requested  in   the  reply  letter  should  be    made 

somewhere  at  the  top  of  the  letter,  not  at  the  end.     It  is  a  good 

practice  to  place  it  as  nearly  as  possible  in  a  corresponding  position 

to  the  one  that  it  occupies  in  the  letter  in  which  it  is  originally  used. 

The  placement  of  the  attention  notice  also  follows  this  rule.     When 

the  annotated  Attention  of  ...  is  used  in  a  letter,  the  salutation 

should  be  addressed  to  the  name  used  in  the  inside  address,  and 

should  be  singular  or  plural  accordingly  : 

R.  H.  Macy  and  Company  The  Morgan  Hat  Company 

Broadway  at  34  Street  Att.  Charles  Howitt,  Esq. 

New  York  City  478  Market  Street 

San  Francisco 
Attention  of  Mr.  Pearson 

Gentlemen 
Gentlemen 

John  Wanamaker 
Adjustment  Department 
Broadway  at  Tenth  Street 
New  York  City 

Gentlemen  :  Attention  Mr.  Robert  Janes 


The  Misses  Alice  and  Gladys  Wright 
3321  Western  Reserve  Boulevard 
Oak  Park,       Ilhnois 

Ladies  :  Attention  Trimming  Department 

27 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


It  is  a  mistake  to  place  the  attention  notice  anywhere  at  the 
bottom  of  the  letter  sheet.  The  general  rule  regarding  placement 
of  special  data  is  this  :  All  annotations  that  are  calculated  for 
the  convenience  of  the  addressee  should  stand  at  or  near  the  top 
of  the  letter  proper  ;  all  calculated  for  the  convenience  of  the 
writer  should  stand  at  or  near  the  bottom. 

Cautions  as  to  Numbers 

1.  If  a  number  contains  decimals  or  fractions,  it  should  be 
written  by  means  of  figures. 

2.  Such  round  numbers  as  three  thousand  dollars  and  twenty-eight 
hundred  shares  should  be  written  out.  But  numbers  that  require 
four  words  or  more  when  written  out,  should  generally  be  expressed 
by  means  of  figures. 

3.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  amounts  that  are  involved  or 
detailed  should  always  be  indicated  by  figures  :  $181,237,27.  This 
number,  for  instance,  if  written  out  would  require  thirteen  words. 

4.  Different  kinds  of  numbers  or  amounts  should  be  expressed 
similarly  in  a  consecutive  piece  of  writing  : 

Twelve  boys  for  three  weeks  at  twelve  dollars  a  week 
or      12  boys  for  3  weeks  at   $12.  a  week 
not      Twelve  boys  for  3  weeks  at  twelve   $'s  per  week 

5.  It  is  better  to  indicate  cents  by  ^  rather  than  by  the  dollar 
sign  and  the  decimal  point  :  80^  not  %  .80.  This  does  not  refer 
to  tabulations,  of  course,  in  which  the  dollar  sign  and  the  decimal 
must  be  used  for  the  sake  of  vertical  alignment. 

6.  It  is  better  not  to  use  figures  in  connection  with  the  words 
number  and  per  cent.  Conversely,  do  not  write  out  an  amount 
when  a  sign  or  an  abbreviation  is  used  to  indicate  it :  Number 
eleven  .  .  .  No.  11. 

7.  It  is  better  not  to  use  figures  of  one  designation  immediately 
after  figures  of  another  designation  :  In  1930  eighteen  firms  entered 
the  competition.  This  is  better  than  :  In  1930  18  firms  entered  the 
competition.  But  this  is  permissible  :  In  1930,  18  firms  entered  the 
competition.  In  date  lines,  such  as  the  following,  the  separation 
between  the  two  kinds  of  figures  is  customarily  made  by  the  comma, 
June  20,  1930. 

8.  In  legal  documents,  sums  of  money  should  be  expressed  both 
by  figures  and  by  words. 

28 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

9.  Such  numbers  as  1215  should  be  spelled  as  follows  :  Twelve 
hundred  fifteen,  not  one  thousand  two  hundred  fifteen. 

10.  Numbers  of  five  digits  or  more  should  be  marked  off  by  the 
comma  :  20,189  .  .  .  But  numbers  of  four  digits  need  not  be  so 
separated,  except,  of  course,  in  tabulations  with  other  numbers 
of  unequal  sizes.  The  number  1930,  used  alone,  would  look  rather 
absurd  written  1,930. 

11.  Do  not  begin  sentences  or  other  partitions  of  writing  with 
figures  or  signs  of  any  kind. 

12.  Dates  and  figures  should  never  be  divided  between  lines. 

13.  Two  or  more  numbers  used  to  indicate    pages    or    street 

addresses  should,  for  the  sake  of  clarity,  be  given  in  full.     It  is  a 

little  better  to  connect  them  by  means  of  words  rather   than 

dashes  : 

Pages  589  to  599  ..  . 

164  and  166  Fifth  Avenue  .  .  . 

not     Pages  589-99 

164-6  Fifth  Avenue 

Numeral  references  of  more  than  three  figures  do  not  necessarily 
come  under  this  rule,  however  : 

The  winter  of  1928-29 
Articles  1033-34 

14.  In  making  biblical  references,  or  references  to  other  books 
and  compilations  that  are  highly  divided  and  subdivided,  both 
Roman  and  Arabic  numerals  are  generally  used.  The  Roman 
numerals  indicate  the  principal  reference  ;  the  Arabic  numerals 
the  subordinate  reference.  The  two  may  be  separated  by  either 
the  colon  or  the  dash,  in  those  cases  where  there  is  but  one  sub- 
ordinate reference.  Where  there  are  two  or  more  subordinate 
references,  the  Roman  numeral  is  separated  from  the  first  Arabic 
numeral  by  means  of  the  colon,  and  the  Arabic  numerals  are 
separated  by  dashes  or  commas.  Capitals  may  be  used  for  further 
differentiation  : 

Exodus  X — 2  Exodus  x  :    2-8 

Exodus  X  :  2  Section  X,  Article  x,  Paragraph  10 

15.  It  is  better  to  use  the  period  after  amounts  of  dollars  expressed 
by  figures.     This  prevents  the  addition  of  figures  to  change  the 

29 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


sum.  In  case  amounts  so  expressed  are  whole  numbers,  it  is 
unnecessary  to  follow  the  period  with  two  zeros.  This  means  that 
$57.  is  better  than  $57.00,  and  that  $57  is  preferably  not  written 
without  the  period  after  it,  as  here.  Custom  is  unfortimately 
widely  varied  in  the  application  of  this  rule. 

As  to  Names  and  Syllables 

1.  A  small  space  should  be  left  between  the  parts  of  a  proper 
name  that  has  a  prefix  : 

De  Motte,     Van  Nostrand,     Mc  Kinickle,     Le  Fevre, 

2.  In  proper  names  prefixed  with  de,  du,  la,  le,  the  prefix  is  not 
capitalized  when  preceded  by  a  Christian  name  ;  it  is  usually 
capitalized  when  not  preceded  by  a  proper  name  : 

Arthur  de  Salvo  Mr.  De  Salvo 

3.  Letters  that  are  used  to  indicate  full  but  fictitious  names 
should  not  be  followed  with  a  period  : 

Mr.  C  has  ten  dollars  ;    Mr.  D  has  twelve  dollars. 

4.  Do  not  divide  names  or  abbreviations  or  addresses  between 
lines.  This  applies  to  firm  names,  book  titles,  sales  and  advertising 
slogans,  and  the  like.  When  a  slogan  or  a  headline  is  so  long  as 
to  require  placement  on  two  lines,  it  should  be  divided  by  phrasal 
units. 

5.  Addresses  enclosed  in  the  body  of  any  kind  of  writing  should 
not  be  "  run  in  straight  "  with  other  matter,  but  should  be  written, 
rather,  in  regular  address  form  : 

Please  forward  goods  to 

The  Jones-Bracey  Company 
118  Market  Street 
San  Francisco 

not     Please  forward  goods  to  The  Jones-Bracey 
Company,   118  Market  Street,  San  Francisco. 

6.  In  general,  there  are  as  many  syllables  in  a  word  as  there  are 
vocalized  vowels  in  pronunciation. 

7.  Syllabic  division  in  a  word  having  a  double  consonant  usually 
falls  between  the  two  consonants. 

8.  It  is  preferable  to  begin  a  new  syllable  with  a  consonant 

30 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


rather  than  with  a  vowel :  ac-coun-tan-cy  rather  than  ac-count-an-cy 
(tho  Webster  and  the  Standard  are  in  disagreement  in  regard  to 
this  word).  Pronunciation  rather  than  derivation  should  decide 
the  syllabic  division  of  words,  in  all  cases  of  doubt. 

9.  A  suffix  that  decides  the  gender,  number,  case,  or  tense  of  a 
word  should  never  be  separated  from  that  word  between  lines  by 
means  of  the  hyphen. 

10.  Suffixes  that  are  not  pronounced  as  separate  syllables  should 
never  be  separated  between  lines  from  the  words  to  which  they 
belong :  de-part-ed  .  .  .  walked. 

As  to  the  Hyphen 

1.  Use  the  hyphen  as  little  as  possible. 

2.  Never  hyphenate  words  between  pages. 

3.  Always  hyphenate  words  by  syllables  as  pronounced. 

4.  Do  not  hyphenate  words  at  the  ends  of  two  or  more  consecutive 
lines. 

5.  When  a  word  is  hyphenated  between  lines,  it  should  be  divided 
as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  middle. 

6.  Write  today,  tonight,  tomorrow,  lefthand,  righthand,  and  other 
common  everyday  compounds  without  the  hyphen. 

7.  When  numerals  form  one  modifying  adjective  they  are  usually 
hyphenated  :    Twenty-third  Street ;   thirty-one  dollars. 

8.  The  names  of  fractions  used  as  nouns  are  usually  not  h5rphen- 
ated  ;  used  as  adjectives  they  usually  are  :  one  half  ;  three  fourths  ; 
one-fourth  power. 

9.  When  a  word  is  hyphenated  between  lines,  the  hyphen  should 
always  be  placed  at  the  end  of  the  first  fine. 

10.  Never  divide  a  monosyllabic  word.  Never  divide  a  dis- 
syllabic word  between  lines  if  you  can  possibly  avoid  doing  so. 
It  is  not  the  best  form  to  place  a  syllable  of  but  two  letters  at 
the  end  of  a  line. 

11.  When  a  group  of  two  or  three  words  are  treated  as  a  single 
modifier,  they  should  be  hyphenated,  provided  a  different  meaning 
from  the  one  intended  can  be  taken  in  case  they  are  not  hyphenated. 

12.  The  hyphen  is  sometimes  used  with  a  prefix  to  indicate  a 
meaning  different  from  the  one  customarily  indicated  by  it,  as  ; 
re-creation,  recreation  ;   re-tire,  retire  ;   re-cover,  recover. 

31 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


13.  The  hyphen  is  used  between  two  vowels  belonging  to  different 
syllables  and  having  separate  pronunciation.  The  diaeresis  may 
be  used  over  the  second  vowel  in  such  combinations,  instead  of  the 
hyphen.  But  both  the  hyphen  and  the  diaeresis  are  falUng  out 
of  use  in  this  connection  :  co-operation,  cooperation  ;  re-organization. 


The  full-page  letters  reproduced  at  or  near  the  beginnings  of 
the  following  chapters  should  be  studied  in  connection  with  the 
various  data  given  in  this  chapter  on  the  mechanics  of  the  letter. 

The  Letterhead 

The  letterhead  should  be  informing,  lucid,  and  dignified,  without 
being  severe,  assertive,  or  aggressive.  The  best  houses  reduce  the 
letterhead  to  the  lowest  terms,  and  keep  it  simple  and  direct  and 
typographically  in  good  taste.  Color  and  illustration  should  be 
used  sparingly,  if  at  all,  in  the  business  letterhead.  By  no  means 
should  there  be  a  list  of  names  strewn  down  one  side  or  the  other 
of  a  piece  of  business  stationery.  Any  letterhead  construction  that 
dominates  the  letter  sheet  on  which  it  appears,  detracts  from  the 
message  proper.  It  must  never  be  forgotten  that  the  stationery  is 
made  primarily  for  the  message,  not  for  the  letterhead  !  The  firm 
name,  the  firm  address,  perhaps  the  telephone  number,  perhaps 
the  telegraph  and  cable  address,  perhaps  the  names  of  officers  and 
of  branch  offices,  perhaps  a  trademark  or  name  or  slogan — the 
first  two  of  these  certainly  should  appear  on  the  letterhead.  Perhaps 
all  of  the  others  should  appear  ;  perhaps  none  of  them  should ; 
perhaps  some  should  and  some  should  not.  Three  particularly  bad 
letterheads  are  shown  on  page  34.  On  the  following  pages  are 
some  good  ones. 

The  Stationery 

Good  business  letters  should  be  written  on  good  business 
stationery.  Even  poor  ones  are  sometimes  made  to  seem  better 
than  they  are  because  of  the  high-toned  stationery  on  which 
they  are  written.  The  quality  of  business  stationery  should  of 
itself  demand  respect.  Cheap,  thin,  flimsy  papers,  however 
^Joquent  the  message  they  carry,  nevertheless  speak  weakly  and 

32 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


without  authority.  The  best  taste  dictates  the  use  of  white  papers 
only,  of  durable  body  stock,  watermarked,  and  of  "  touch-discern- 
ment "  thickness.  If  colors  are  used,  for  making  tests,  for  differen- 
tiating classes  of  commodities  and  prospects,  or  for  classifying 
correspondence  by  subjects  or  departments,  they  should  be  high 
tints  rather  than  shades.  By  no  means  should  a  house  grade  the 
qualities  of  its  stationery  for  the  purpose  of  adjusting  it  to  different 
grades  of  correspondence.  The  farmer  deserves  just  as  much 
consideration  and  refinement  of  treatment  as  the  dealer  or  the  sales- 
man or  the  upper  Fifth  Avenue  matron.  Commercial  democracy 
does  not  insult  one  prospect  by  flattering  another. 

The  Typist 

The  attitude  of  a  typist  toward  her  typewriter  should  be  very 
much  the  same  as  that  of  a  chauffeur  towards  his  car.  She  should 
keep  a  jealous  eye  upon  it.  She  should  see  to  it  that  her  machine 
is  always  in  top-notch  running  order.  She  should  be  armed  with 
brush  and  dust  cloth  and  oil  can.  Her  first  duty  every  morning 
on  taking  the  cover  off  her  machine,  should  be  to  clean  it  thoroly 
with  an  oiled  rag  kept  for  the  purpose.  The  metal  letters  should 
be  brushed  daily,  and  thereby  kept  clean  and  open.  Filled-in  or 
blurred  typewritten  letters  are  a  disgrace  to  any  business  com- 
munication, and  a  damaging  commentary  upon  a  typist's  attitude 
toward  her  work.  The  typewriter  should  be  kept  equipped  with 
a  clear  clean  ribbon.  The  running  adjustments  of  the  machine 
should  be  carefully  looked  after,  so  that  it  may  be  held  up  to 
maximum  efficiency  all  the  time.  Evenness  of  touch  should  be 
vigilantly  practiced  by  the  business  letter  typist,  in  order  that  some 
parts  of  a  letter  may  not  appear  in  heavy  type  and  other  parts  in 
light  type.  Business  stationery  should  be  touched  by  the  hands 
as  little  as  possible,  for  natural  perspiration  causes  soilure,  no 
matter  how  clean  the  hands  may  be.  Erasures  should,  of  course 
be  avoided,  for  they  can  usually  be  detected,  no  matter  how  skilfully 
they  are  made.  In  case  a  typist  is  careful  to  keep  on  hand  two  or 
three  erasers  of  varying  degrees  of  hardness — very  hard  ones  for 
ink  and  very  soft  ones  for  soilures  and  for  erasure  finishing — she 
may  be  able  to  make  erasures  successfully.  But  there  are  firms 
that  rule  :    rewrites,   but  no  erasures  !     The  good  typist,  in 

33 

3— (429) 


The  letterhead  should  not  make  an  "  ocular  noise.** 


•  QUASCUTUMS 


Jfranblin  ^imon  ^Ca 

A  Store  of  Individual  Shops 


HQOASCUTOMS 


AQUASCUTUM  LV    IN    NCW  YORK 


4    -yiJ!^  (y4ia/r-tei^ 


ALDERSGATE 


AMtRICAN    HSAOquARTERS 
IOADWAYano  34T- street 


^TLN    newYOfK 
tOOntSS     WEINOARTCN    LONDON 

WCINGAnTCN    PORTSMOUrM 
LIEBEPS  coot 


MANUFACTURERS    OF 


FORM  LETTER  NO.  4 


Kalamazoo,  Michigan 


34 


The  letterhead  must  not  compete  for  attention 
with  the  letter  proper. 


"CelcgftplHt  jlJJfiS : 

■MUDILIB.  WESTCENT  LONDON.' 
.  CODE  A  B.C.    iih  EDITION 


E. 


J.C. 


CERRARD  8166 


^^%\    Mudie's  Seled  Library 

Ms.  20.24...    \f 


LIMITED. 
30  !•   H    NEW   OXFORD   STREET. 

LOtHTiOU^,    W.C.I 


Export  Department. 

SECOND-HAND    BOOKS. 

NEW  BOOKS. 

FOREIGN  BOOKS 

MAGAZINES  t-    NEWSPAPERS. 

BOOKBINDING. 

PRINTING. 

DIE  6-  RELIEF  STAMPING. 

-f- 

STATIONERY  AND 

LIBRARY  REOyiSITES. 

-»- 

MERCHANDISE  OF    ALL    KINDS 

AT  THE 
LOWEST    CURRENT    PRICES 

Travel  Department. 

-»• 

PASSENGER  AGENTS   FOR    THE 

ORIENT.   ALLAN.    ANCHOR. 

CANADIAN    PACIFIC    RAILWAY 

AND  ROYAL  LINES. 

BOOKINGS  BY  OTHER 

PRINCIPAL  STEAMSHIP 

COMPANIES  TO  ALL  PARTS 

OF  THE  WORLD 

AGENTS  FOR  THE  SALE  OF 

DOMINION  ir  AMERICAN 

EXPRESS  ORDERS  4-  CHEQUES. 


35 


The  letterhead  should  speak  .  .  . 


^ 


zJ%??na^S^(Qd(^U^ 


Sears,  Roebuck  A>a>  Co. 

CHICAGO 


1fi2#CSP»VJ 


Carnation  Milk  Products  Co. 


MANUFACTUREBS    Or 

Carnation  Milk 

SKATTLB  AND  CHICAGO,  U.S.  A 


Seattle. 


TndicioiisAdvertisin^ 

Owabash&MadisanX^m.      Chicago      O 


THE  BALTIMORE  TRUST  COMPANY 

State  Ba]nk:Braj^ch 


Capital $1,000,000    Surplus  $2,000,000 

XV.H.B.EVANS.  Manaoet 

r                                                        BAUTIMOWE   ^COMMERCE   STREETS 

B  Ai/riM  OKI: ,  Md. 

ukUnPIS    ifrrnr^/M_    |>p<;rox/r   CSVSTF" 

Capital  Si 000 000. 

Surplus!  8  000  000 

^jy. 

(■formerly  RIGGS&CO)                           ^ 

James  M^Creery  a  Co. 

FIFTH  AVtNUE                  TMIRTY-FOURTM   STREET 

NewYork 

36 


.  with  restraint  and  dignity. 


lUOILiS     WCSTCt 


j^^j4.  y*^ 


•Kt^se  Quort  acrccMCt  • 


15286. 


SIDNEY   S.   WILSON 
CtlVILAND.  OHIO 


Better  Letters  Association 


F.  W.  OIUNAN 


L.  A.   MeOUCCN 


G     H.   FREEMAN 


D.   M.   JOHNSON 


•.  OPDVCKC 


msm^&^Wm^m,^^m^m& 


EXECUTIVE      OFFICES.    BOSTON     USA 


■#■ 


FIRATT  ^  ILAMBEIRT-  Inc. 

7  3-»7  TTOiljSJySCANinA.  9TR1BET 

IBIUIKJKAILCD),  NoliT 


NEW  YORK  UNIVERSITY 

SCHOOL   OF  COMMERCE 
ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

WASHINGTON  SQUARE.  NEW  YORK 


FACTORIES 
BurrALO 

CHICAGO 


DEPARTMENT  OP 
ABVESTISINC   AND  MARKBTINC 

TBLEPHONB 
SPRING  9  SOO 

The  Outlook  Company 

k»w»r>ct  >>aBOTT 

Three  Eighty  One Ttourlh  Avenue 

TheOutlook 

="°'^          

NEW  YORK 

•    »'0~~»J",»^„^,^,„, 

HTPMSH 

The  College  of  Business  Administration 

OF 

BOSTON  UNIVERSITY 

525    Boylston    Street 
Boston  Massachnsetts 


37 


BUSINESS   LETTER    PRACTICE 


POSTAG  E 

The  MonihU   M»Raiine   ihsi  ltlt» 
how  lo  ttantaci   Du«inri9  by  Mail 

18   EAST    leih   STREET 
NEW     YORK    CITY 


■.■.■:,..^      J 

OOIN    THE 

NAVY 

TRAIMING-IRAVE 

i---—       1 

^r  ""--i 

't    r-uJ> 

fe-f^' 

^■.i'^* 

Messrs.    Ferguson  and   Jenklnson 
1224   lotorvale    Boulevard 
Cleveland,    Ohio 


Montgomery  Ward  &  Co 

CHICAGO 


jOINThC 

NAV 

TRAlNINfr-ISAvft 


Paymond,  Brown  and  Company 
Att   Credit  Department 
210  Market  Street 
San  Francisco 


38 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


His  Worship 

The   Mayor   of  Plymouth, 
Guildhall, 

PLYMOUTH. 

ENGLAND. 


CHAMBER    OF    COMMERCE 
STATE  or  NEW  YORK. 


Mr.    James  R     Constance, 
324   GirsLTd   Avenue, 
Philadelphia, 
Penna, 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


short,  takes  pride  and  joy  in  the  quaUty  of  her  work.  She  aims 
always  to  produce  a  perfect  letter  picture.  And  she  does  not  blame 
her  machine  for  the  "  facial  defects  "  in  her  typewritten  work. 

The  Fold 

The  business  letter  should  be  folded  with  precision.  The  large 
fold — for  the  large  commercial  envelope — requires  that  the  letter 
sheet  be  folded  up  from  the  bottom  somewhat  less  than  one  third 
of  its  length,  and  down  from  the  top  somewhat  more  than  one  third 
of  its  length.  The  small  fold — for  the  small  commercial  envelope — 
requires  that  the  letter  sheet  be  folded  up  somewhat  less  than 
one  half  of  its  length,  and  then  turned  in  from  the  right  a  little  less 
than  one  third  of  its  width,  and  from  the  left  a  little  more  than 
one  third  of  its  width.  In  any  sort  of  letter  fold  it  is  a  good  plan, 
if  possible,  to  allow  the  top  of  the  letterhead  to  protrude  sufficiently 
to  display  the  firm  name,  or  a  part  of  it.  This  makes  it  possible  to 
see  where  letters  are  from  before  they  are  entirely  unfolded,  and 
automatically  to  assort  them  into  piles  while  they  are  being 
unfolded.  It  will  be  observed,  in  the  explanation  above  and  in 
the  accompanying  illustrations,  that  the  commercial  letter  should 
always  be  folded  so  as  to  leave  a  thumb-catch  ledge  for  the  purpose 
of  facilitating  the  opening.  For  the  window  envelope,  the  letter 
must  be  folded  so  that  the  inside  address  is  adjusted  to  the  trans- 
parent part  of  the  envelope.  The  above  rules  do  not  hold,  therefore, 
for  this  style  of  envelope.  Sometimes,  unfortunately,  a  very 
awkward  fold  indeed  is  required. 

Fancy  folds  should  not  be  used.  Locked  or  other  complicated 
folds  may  try  the  patience  of  the  recipient,  and  may  exasperate 
him  before  he  gets  to  the  letter.  The  longitudinal  fold — folding  the 
sheet  inward  from  one  side  less  than  one-third  width,  and  from 
the  other  more  than  one-third  width,  and  then  folding  upward 
just  below  the  middle — is  used  to  some  extent  and  may  be  gaining 
headway,  but  it  is  not  by  any  means  general.  It  has  the  merit, 
however,  of  creasing  along  the  margin  and  perhaps  of  affording 
a  more  rapid  opening. 

The  Envelope 

The  name  of  the  addressee  should  be  placed  at  the  optical  center 
of  the  envelope,  that  is,  slightly  above  the  mathematical  center. 

40 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


The  remaining  two  or  three  Hnes  of  the  address  should  follow  the 
name  at  regular  intervals.  Double  spacing  is  recommended  for 
the  envelope  address,  because  it  makes  the  address  stand  out  more 
clearly  and  thus  affords  easier  and  quicker  reading.  This  usage 
is  not  yet  generally  adopted,  however,  and  it  is  not  desirable 
perhaps  in  addresses  of  four  or  more  lines.  The  lefthand  margin  of 
the  envelope  should  be  somewhat  wider  than  the  righthand  margin. 
It  is  best,  for  the  sake  of  clarity,  to  give  each  separate  item  in  an 
envelope  address  a  line  to  itself.  It  is  not  the  safest  and  clearest 
style  to  place  the  name  of  the  state  on  a  line  with  the  name  of 
the  city,  or  the  name  of  the  city  on  a  Hne  with  the  street  address. 


This  order 


Name  of  addressee 
Street  number  and  name 
Name  of  city 
Name  of  state 


is  better  than 


Name  of  addressee 
Street  number  and  name 
Name  of  city,  name  of  state 

and  also  better  than 

Name  of  addressee 

Street  number  and  name,  and  name  of  city 

Some  psychologist  has  proved,  to  his  own  satisfaction  at  least, 
that  envelope  addresses  written  in  blocked,  double-spaced  style 
are  more  quickly  read  by  the  human  eye  than  other  styles  are, 
and  he  gives  percentage  proofs  based  upon  tests.  The  envelope 
address  should  follow  the  style  of  margining  and  the  style  of 
punctuation  used  in  the  parts  of  the  letter  it  encloses. 

If  special  directions  in  the  envelope  address  require  more  than 
four  lines  in  the  total  address,  the  better  usage  demands  that  such 
specific  and  individual  items  be  placed  in  the  lower  lefthand  corner. 
Such  data  as  Poste  Restante,  In  care  of,  Attention  of  Mr.  J.  R.  Lane, 
Please  Forward,  Department  XYZ  are  usually  so  placed.  If  they 
are  placed  as  part  of  the  envelope  address  proper,  they  will  probably 
lose  in  emphasis  as  well  as  crowd  and  confuse  the  salients  of  the 

41 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


address.     Omitted  altogether  they  may  delay  a  letter  in  reaching 
.it^destination. 
6^  It  is  not  necessary  to  use  the  form  c/o  before  a  firm  name  when 
an  individual  connected  with  the  firm  is  addressed.     The  following 
form  is  being  used  more  and  more  : 

James  B.  Senior,  Esq. 
Worthington  Pump  Company 
115  Broadway 
New  York  City 

Or  the  firm  name  may  be  placed  in  the  lower  lefthand  corner  of 
the  envelope. 

When,  however,  an  individual  not  officially  connected  with  a 
particular  firm  is  to  be  addressed  in  care  of  that  firm,  it  is  customary 
to  place  c/o  before  the  firm  name.  But  this  custom  seems  to  be 
gradually  falling  out  of  use.  Institutions,  for  instance,  that  make 
it  a  business  to  handle  mail  for  travelers,  have  a  corps  of  workers 
to  look  after  this  part  of  their  business  and  keep  lists  that  are 
carefully  watched  and  adjusted. 

Stamps  should  be  placed  on  the  upper  righthand  corner  of  the 
face  of  the  envelope.  Firm  or  individual  name  and  address  are 
placed,  as  a  rule,  in  the  upper  lefthand  corner.  These  may  be 
printed,  however,  on  the  flap  of  the  envelope,  and  the  face  of  the 
envelope  thus  be  reserved  exclusively  for  the  name  and  address  of 
the  addressee.  The  envelope  should  be  used  sparingly,  if  at  all, 
for  advertising  purposes.  In  those  cases  where  envelope  copy  is 
considered  necessary  and  wise,  it  should  be  printed  preferably  on 
the  back  of  the  envelope.  Carried  on  the  face  of  the  envelope, 
advertising  copy  somewhat  cheapens  a  message,  and  it  likewise 
endangers  the  readability  of  the  address.  Envelope  copy,  wherever 
placed,  should,  of  course,  be  brief  and  suggestive,  and  economized 
to  the  highest  possible  degree.  It  should  say  very  much  in  a  small 
space  with  as  few  words  as  possible.  Excellent  results  have  been 
reported  on  the  use  of  restrained  envelope  advertising.  On  the 
other  hand,  certain  firms  have  resisted  strong  inducements  to  resort 
to  it,  for  the  reason  that  it  invariably  "  lets  the  cat  out  of  the  bag," 
and  thus  often  invites  indifference  before  a  letter  is  opened.  But 
the  ayes  seem  to  have  it,  inasmuch  as  an  increase  in  the  use  of 
envelope  copy  is  reported,   especially  in  connection  with  direct 

42 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


mail  sales  literature.  The  point  is,  have  nothing  on  the  envelope 
that  will  interfere  with  making  it  an  impressive  and  ingratiating 
carrier  of  your  message. 


The  Correspondence  Supervisor 

The  chief  business  of  the  correspondence  supervisor  is  to  instil 
an  esprit  de  corps  into  his  department.  He  must  seek  to  establish 
among  the  members  of  his  department  a  forward-looking,  business- 
building  attitude  toward  correspondence.  He  may  do  this  by 
frequent  inspirational  talks  and  by  more  frequent  individual 
interviews.  Reference  form  files  should  be  open  for  constant  use 
by  typists  and  stenographers,  and  especially  those  newly  employed. 
Certain  standard  forms  and  certain  general  rules  should  be  repro- 
duced in  enlargement,  and  posted  in  the  correspondence  rooms. 
All  typists  in  a  single  room  may,  for  instance,  face  in  one  direction, 
and  have  before  them,  posted  in  large  type  in  the  front  of  the  room, 
the  exact  letter  form  to  be  used  by  their  department.  This  is 
only  one  of  many  devices  to  which  the  correspondence  supervisor 
may  resort  for  the  sake  of  making  the  business  letters  of  his 
concern  bear  the  imprint  of  dignity  and  authority  and  unanimity 
of  attitude.  By  no  means  the  least  important  of  the  work  of  the 
correspondence  supervisor  is  the  construction  of  a  manual  for  use 
by  all  of  those  who  have  to  do  with  the  letter  writing  of  his  firm. 
The  manual  should  be  a  growth,  and  its  contents  should  be  worked 
out  thru  the  medium  of  committee  conferences. 

Style  manuals  are  all  more  or  less  alike,  must  necessarily  be,  for 
the  reason  that  the  problems  that  confront  those  who  conduct 
correspondence,  whether  in  commercial  or  industrial  institutions, 
are  very  much  the  same.  Besides,  the  moot  points  in  English  are 
similar  regardless  of  geography  and  type  of  occupation.  Differen- 
tiation among  rules  and  their  application  may  perhaps  be  made  to 
some  degree  in  the  treatment  of  certain  points  that  may  be  purely 
local  in  nature,  such  as  word  lists,  preferences  of  form,  demands 
of  special  lines  of  operation  that  are  peculiar  to  the  individual  house. 

It  must  be  remembered,  too,  that  English  is  by  no  means  a  fixed 
language,  but  on  the  contrary  a  very  fluid  one,  and  that  therefore 
absolute  standardization  is  as  impossible  as  it  is  undesirable.  And 
letter  writing  is  one  of  the  most  fluid  forms  of  this  most  fluid  vehicle 

43 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


of  expression.  But  this  very  fluidity  makes  for  a  facility  and  a 
suppleness  and  an  adaptation  of  letter  content,  and  gives  to  the 
business  letter  a  place  second  to  none  as  an  agent  of  force  and  power 
and  influence. 

In  view  of  these  considerations,  the  most  and  the  best  that  any 
manual  can  do  is  to  set  down  in  lucid  and  definite  form  and  language 
the  standards  of  style  and  usage  that  it  prefers,  the  standards  of 
style  and  usage  that  it  wishes  to  be  known  and  judged  by  in  its 
correspondence.  The  letters  of  a  firm  reflect  its  personality.  If 
they  vary  widely  in  form  and  style  among  departments  ;  if  they  are 
loose  and  inconsistent  in  structure  and  construction  ;  if  they  are 
down-at-heel  in  tone  and  atmosphere  ;  if  they  are  not  only  erroneous 
but  erratic  as  well,  why,  they  will  do  much  actual  harm.  A  style 
manual,  having  the  support  of  the  officers  of  a  company  and 
enforced  rigidly  by  them,  will  both  prevent  and  cure  the  ills  that 
letters  so  easily  fall  heir  to. 

But  a  manual  must  be  regarded  as  guidance  only.  So  regarded, 
it  will  be  found  invaluable  for  standardizing  method  and  for 
economizing  time.  It  should  be  so  constructed  as  to  permit  of 
fluidity  of  adaptation  and  flexibility  of  application.  It  should  not 
be  permitted  to  artificiahze  the  business  letter  or  to  render  it 
characterless.  It  should  not  be  regarded  as  a  finality,  but  rather 
as  always  in  solution.  For  this  reason,  it  may  be  best  never  to 
have  certain  parts  of  it  printed,  but  issued  rather  in  a  temporary 
and  easily  revised  form. 

The  following  is  intended  to  be  only  a  brief  and  suggestive 
table  of  contents  for  a  correspondence  manual : 

I.  A  brief  inspirational  article  calculated  to  inspire  dictators 
and  stenographers  with  the  second-to-none  importance  of 
their  work  in  the  conduct  of  a  business  organization 

II.     Suggestions  to  dictators 

A.  The  work  of  the  dictator 

1.  Collecting  data 

2.  Constructing  the  letter 

3.  Conserving  stenographer's  time 

4.  Criticizing  her  work  firmly  but  constructively 

B.  Distinct  speech 

1.  Exercises  in  pronunciation  of  common  words 


C.     The  dictating  machine 

1.  The  dictaphone 

2.  The  ediphone 

44 


THE  PICTURE  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


III.  Suggestions  to  stenographers 

A.    Responsibility  of  stenographers  as  to 

1.  Reception  accorded  to  letter 

2.  Appearance 

a.  Proportion 

b.  Picture 

c.  Placement 

d.  Spacing,  paragraphing,  etc. 

3.  Display 

a.  Heading 

b.  Inside  address  (standard  and  special  forms) 

c.  Salutation 

d.  Body 

e.  Complimentary  closing 

f.  Signature 

g.  Annotation 

(Standard  letter  forms  of  various  lengths,  taken  from  the  company's 
correspondence,  should  be  reproduced  in  facsimile  for  illustration  of  these 
points.) 

IV.  Rules  for  punctuation 

Period,    question    mark,    exclamation    point,    comma,    colon, 
semicolon,  quotation  marks,  parentheses,  brackets 

V.     Rules  for  capitalization 

Regulations  as  to  forms  of  mechanical  emphasis  to  be  used 
in  the  correspondence  of  a  house 

VI.     Spelling 

A.  The  use  of  the  hyphen 

B.  Preferred  forms  of  spelling 

1.  Lists  of  words  allowing  of  two  forms 

2.  ise  endings 

3.  ize  endings 

4.  Foreign  words  and  phrases 

5.  Plurals 

6.  Possessives 

7.  Simplified  forms 

VI  I.     Diction 

Lists  of  common  errors  in  the  use  of  such  words  as  shall  and 
will,  distinguish  and  differentiate,  further  and  farther,  etc. 

VIII.     Telegrams  and  cablegrams  and  marconigrams 

IX.     Telephone  notes  and  reports 

X.     Differences  between  domestic  and  foreign  correspondence 

45 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


XI.     Interoffice  and  interdepartmental  memoranda 

XII.     Special  house  regulations 

An  appendix,  perhaps,  to  be  mimeographed  and  subjected 
to  revision  that  may  be  demanded  by  change  of  time  and 
conditions 

XIII.     Bibliography 

Books  on  letter  writing,  business  English,  advertising,  selling, 
credits,  collections,  etc. 

XIV.     BibUography 

A  list  of  general  cultural  books,  prefaced  with  an  inspirational 
paragraph  on  the  values  of  reading  to  the  business  letter  writer. 


46 


CHAPTER   II 
THE    COMPOSITION    OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

Select  the  things  you  have  to  say, 
Arrange  in  logical  array  ; 
Economize  in  word  and  phrase, 
Elucidate  in  myriad  ways  ; 
Be  sure  to  write  in  courteous  vein. 
And  energize  with  might  and  main. 

The  business  letter  is  an  objective  form  of  expression.  It  aims 
to  catch  and  reflect  the  reader's  mood  and  attitude.  It  subordinates 
the  author  and  his  feeHngs  ;  it  features  the  recipient  and  his 
interests. 

The  case  is  different  with  poem,  play,  novel,  or  essay.  These  are 
subjective  types  of  expression,  except  in  those  cases  where  they 
are  written  as  propaganda  and  where  the  literary  quality  accordingly 
suffers.  The  author  of  each  of  these  literary  types  expresses 
himself,  and  he  focuses  upon  large  groups  rather  than  upon  single 
individuals.  He  works  from  within  outward.  The  author  of 
the  business  letter,  or,  for  that  matter,  of  any  kind  of  business 
literature,  works  in  the  opposite  direction.  The  latter  is  concerned 
with  adaptation  ;    the  former  with  revelation. 

But  this  is  a  variable  distinction.  It  could  not  possibly  be  hard 
and  fast.  If  it  were,  language  would  cease  to  have  the  wealth  of 
fluidity  that  makes  it  the  vehicle  of  infinite  variety  in  expression. 
There  is  much  business  expression  that  tops  the  apex  of  literature. 
There  is  much  literature  that  is  easily  and  immediately  adaptable 
to  business  uses.  But  in  the  interchange  and  the  interplay  of  the 
one  type  with  and  for  the  other,  it  may  be  well  always  to  keep 
this  dictum  in  mind  :  Literature  may  say  much  and  mean  little  ; 
business  expression  must  mean  much  and  say  little. 

For  this  reason,  there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  a  best  or  model 
business  letter.  Each  letter  is  the  expression  of  an  individual  to 
an  individual  in  regard  to  a  peculiar  and  individual  situation. 
Nice  standardization  in  business  letter  writing  is  therefore  impos- 
sible. But  because  of  its  more  general  appeal,  literature  affords  us 
models  all  along  the  gamut  of  its  manifestation.  The  illustrative 
letters  in  this  book,  or  in  any  other,  are  examples  merely  ;    they 

47 


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48 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


could  not  possibly  be  exemplary,  for  each  letter  is  written  (or 
should  be)  to  fit  one  special  situation.  Business  letter  writing  is 
a  wide-open  science  and  an  illimitable  art,  and  it  must  so  remain, 
if  the  sphere  of  its  power  and  influence  is  to  be  continued  and 
enlarged. 

It  is  said  of  a  great  prime  minister,  who  was  also  a  great  orator, 
that  he  always  sent  a  messenger  to  request  an  audience  with  his 
queen  whenever  some  question  of  importance  upon  which  they 
differed  was  to  be  discussed.  But  the  queen  invariably  dispatched 
the  messenger  back  with  the  instruction  :  "  Tell  the  prime  minister 
to  put  it  in  writing." 

It  is  said  of  a  great  prime  minister  who  was  also  a  great  writer, 
that  when  occasion  demanded  he  always  sent  a  messenger  to  his 
queen  with  a  written  exposition  presenting  his  side  of  some  great 
issue  upon  which  they  differed.  But  the  queen  invariably  dis- 
patched the  messenger  back  with  this  instruction  :  "  Tell  the 
prime  minister  to  come  and  talk  with  me." 

In  the  one  case  it  was  the  irresistible  spoken  word  that  the 
sovereign  feared  ;  in  the  latter,  it  was  the  irresistible  written  word. 
The  first  prime  minister  has  left  many  volumes  of  orations  which 
nobody  reads — for  who  reads  oratory  ?  The  second  prime  minister 
has  left  many  volumes  of  novels  which  nobody  declaims— for  who 
declaims  novels  ? 

Now,  in  so  far  as  it  is  possible  to  formulate  a  definition  of  business 
English,  it  is  just  exactly  a  combination  of  these  two  qualities  : 
The  irresistible  oral  appeal  plus  the  irresistible  written  appeal. 
It  is  vocal  expression  that  makes  itself  seen  as  if  it  were  on  the 
printed  page  ;  it  is  written  expression  that  makes  itself  heard  as 
if  it  were  spoken  by  the  human  voice.  The  two  are  indissolubly 
twinned.  Letters  are  to  be  read  an^  to  be  heard.  They  are  dictated 
and  written  and  read,  and  oftentimes  read  aloud.  Dictation  very 
often  automatically  begets  revision  and  correction  just  as  the 
result  of  being  heard.  Writing  very  often  automatically  begets 
revision  and  correction  just  as  the  result  of  being  seen. 

Whether  the  typist  or  the  dictator  is  the  more  to  blame  for 
errors  and  weaknesses  in  business  letter  writing,  it  will  not  avail 
to  discuss  here.  Neither  can  be  too  careful  in  his  work.  Clear  and 
exact  and  deliberate  speech  is  a  sine  qua  non  with  the  dictator  who 
would  electrify  his  letters  with  the  living  word.     If  he  is  keen  about 

49 

4— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


his  work  of  dictating,  he  will  see  to  it  that  it  is  no  mere  mechanical 
or  scattered  process  of  utterance,  but,  rather,  a  radiating  expression 
of  thought,  a  logical  unfoldment  of  thought.  He  will  be  as  careful 
to  pronounce  words  accurately  as  if  he  were  addressing  an  audience. 
He  will  visualize  the  letter  situation  and  imagine  himself  in  actual 
interview.  He  will  similarly  use  as  good  tone  and  texture  (which 
by  no  means  imply  loudness)  of  voice  as  he  possibly  can.  He  will 
most  of  all  aim  at  fluency  without  rapidity,  at  deliberateness 
without  hesitation.  Whether  he  "  ediphones  "  or  "  dictaphones  " 
or  talks  directly  to  a  human  being  sitting  at  the  same  desk,  his 
j  ob  is,  not  to  stultify  thought  by  slovenly  speech,  but  to  give  thought 
vitality  by  expression  that  is  itself  vital  and  uncurbed  in  spite  of 
the  indirect  medium.  And  he  must  not  permit  the  attention  that 
he  must  give  to  such  details  as  the  dictation  of  the  words  comma, 
period,  paragraph,  to  detract  in  the  least  from  his  straight  and 
narrow  drive  towards  the  focal  point  of  his  dictated  composition. 
We  know  one  dictator  of  business  letters  who  keeps  the  following 
quotation  (Judges  12  :  4-6)  framed  in  gilt,  hanging  above  his  desk, 
as  a  constant  reminder  of  what  once  happened  as  the  result  of 
incorrect  pronunciation.  It  may  never  happen  again.  Then, 
again,  it  may  ! 

Then  Jephthah  gathered  together  all  the  men  of  Gilead  and  fought  with 
Ephraim  ;  and  the  men  of  Gilead  smote  Ephraim,  because  they  said,  Ye  are 
fugitives  of  Ephraim,  ye  Gileadites,  in  the  midst  of  Ephraim,  and  in  the 
midst  of  Manasseh.  And  the  Gileadites  took  the  fords  of  the  Jordan  against 
the  Ephraimites.  And  it  was  so  that  when  any  of  the  fugitives  of  Ephraim 
said,  Let  me  go  over,  the  men  of  Gilead  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  an  Ephramite  ? 
If  he  said,  Nay,  then  said  they  unto  him,  Say  now  Shibboleth  ;  and  he  said 
Sibboleth,  for  he  could  not  frame  to  pronounce  it  right ;  then  they  laid  hold 
on  him  and  slew  him  at  the  fords  of  the  Jordan.  And  there  fell  at  that 
time  of  Ephraim  forty  and  two  thousand. 

And  every  typist  would  do  well  to  remember  that  type  impHes 
accuracy  and  authority.  The  typed  word  comes  back  at  the 
reader  again  and  again  ;  the  spoken  does  not.  The  spoken  word, 
indeed,  carries  with  it  certain  elements  of  suspicion  ;  it  can  be  made 
a  good  deal  of  cheat  sometimes  by  intonation  and  inflection  and 
emphasis,  and  by  the  personality  behind  it.  But  the  typed  word 
is  passive  and  passionless.  It  must  be  taken  at  exactly  its  cold 
face  value.  It  is  important,  therefore,  that  the  one  who  types  it, 
make  it  count  for  as  much  as  possible.     Perhaps  the  typist  will 

50 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


find  an  added  importance  and  dignity  in  her  work  if  she  keeps  in 
mind  the  indehble  associations  and  responsibiUties  that  hinge  upon 
the  written  word.     Not  only  do  such  lasting  connotations  as  Pears, 


BUSINESS 
LETTER 
COMPOSI- 
TION 


Be 
COMPRE- 
HENSIVE 

ELIM- 
INATE      ' 

but 

Be 
CONCLUSIVE 

PLAN 

CONDEN- 
SATION     , 

Be 
CONCISE 

ECONO- 
MIZE 

but 

Be 
COMPLETE 

Be 
CORRECT 

POINT 

ELUCI- 
DATE 

but 

PERSPI- 
CACITY 

CONCEN-       ' 
TRATION 

Be 
CLEAR 

Be 
COURTEOUS 

ENERGIZE 

but 

Be 
CHARAC- 
TERFUL 

POWER 

Ivory,  Sapolio,  and  Bon  Ami  owe  their  familiar  existence  to  it, 
but  so  also  do  all  of  the  best  of  our  literary  inheritances,  from  the 
Bible  and  Shakespeare  to  Ruskin  and  Hubbard.  The  typist 
cannot  have  too  high  a  regard  for  the  importance  of  her  work. 
She  must  pull  in  team  with  her  dictator.     She  must  pull  in  single 


51 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


to  deliver  the  message  delivered  to  her  in  as  worthy  and  ideal  form 
as  is  humanly  possible. 

It  is  necessary  to  have  certain  guides  in  whatever  we  undertake. 
The  writing  of  business  letters  is  no  exception  to  this  rule.  Some 
one  has  said  that  it  is  not  hard  to  write  if  one  does  not  try  to  remem- 
ber all  the  rules.  But  there  would  be  infinitely  more  bad  writing 
if  some  of  the  people  did  not  remember  some  of  the  rules  at  least 
some  of  the  time.  You  are  not  expected  to  memorize  a  timetable, 
but  it  is  a  reliable  guide  to  have  at  hand,  and  the  chances  are  that 
you  will  memorize  certain  portions  of  it  in  spite  of  yourself.  The 
foregoing  tabular  guide  for  composing  business  letters  is  to  be 
used  as  and  when  needed.  It  is  a  formula  for  reference  as  well  as 
a  prescription  for  treatment.  It  may  likewise  be  used  as  a  scale 
of  measurement  for  testing  business  letters.  The  four  principal 
headings  in  this  graph  on  page  51  will  be  discussed  seriatim. 

Eliminate 

The  business  letter  must  be  at  once  comprehensive  and  con- 
clusive. It  must  cover  the  ground  required  by  the  immediate 
situation,  but  it  must  not  attempt  to  do  so  much  as  to  sacrifice 
finality  or  decisiveness.  The  habit  of  saying  just  the  right  amount 
in  just  the  right  way  to  get  just  the  right  expression,  is  the  most 
precious  of  the  jewels  that  crown  the  genius  of  business  expression. 
It  is  easy  to  say  too  little,  and  thus  harass.  It  is  easy  to  say  too 
much,  and  thus  confuse.  If  you  use  half  an  egg  as  a  nest  egg,  you 
tantalize  the  hen.  If  you  use  two  eggs,  you  make  her  suspicious. 
If  you  use  one  you  are  just  sufficiently  comprehensive  in  your 
plan,  to  produce  "  conclusions  "  with  her. 

Among  the  many  things  that  one  might  say  in  writing  a  letter, 
there  are  always  some  that  must  be  rejected  entirely,  some  that 
must  be  modified,  and  some  that  must  be  used.  The  process  of 
weighing  and  assorting  possible  letter  content  and  thus  reducing 
it  to  an  imperative  yet  sufficient  minimum  we  call  elimination. 
It  means  weeding  out ;  it  means  selection,  which  implies  rejection  ; 
it  means  unity  in  the  choice  of  materials  that  are  to  be  included 
in  a  letter.  The  gifted  and  experienced  letter  writer — he  who  has 
a  highly  developed  "  letter  sense  " — is  able  to  make  the  required 
elimination  almost  automatically  as  he  proceeds  with  his  writing 
or  dictation.     But  the  one  who  is  not  so  gifted  will  need  to  pause, 

52 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


ponder,  and  particularize  before  rushing  in  where  experts  fear  to 
expatiate.  We  shall  trace  out  briefly  the  steps  that  he  may  find 
it  advantageous  to  follow. 

He  must  be  able  to  arrive  at  the  proper  point  of  view.  Inasmuch 
as  every  letter  situation  is  peculiar  unto  itself,  or  should  be  so 
regarded,  the  writer  must  get  himself  into  the  right  mood.  He 
must  enter  into  the  mind  and  spirit  of  the  one  for  whom  his  letter 
is  intended,  imagine  his  possible  reactions,  consider  the  reply  desired 
and  the  appeals  best  calculated  to  get  this  reply.  In  other  language, 
the  I-attitude  must  be  minimized ;  the  you-attitude  must  be 
"  maximized,"  tho  this  statement  must  not  be  taken  to  mean  that  the 
words  you  and  /  are  respectively  important  and  unimportant. 
The  attitude  is  the  salient  of  the  compound  in  each  case.  Everything 
that  does  not  focus  forward  upon  consideration  at  the  other  end 
of  the  mail  route,  should,  as  a  rule,  be  eliminated. 

As  to  whether  letters  written  by  Americans  to  foreign  corre- 
spondents should  be  marked  by  the  excessively  polite  and  formal 
tone  that  so  frequently  marks  the  foreign  letter,  is  a  matter  for  the 
individual  house  to  decide.  To  match  courtesy  with  courtesy  may 
be  a  highly  desirable  letter  policy.  On  the  other  hand,  directness 
and  succinctness  have  come  to  be  regarded  thruout  the  world  as 
American  characteristics,  and  it  can  do  no  possible  harm  to  treat 
the  foreign  correspondent  to  these  qualities  in  our  business  letters, 
always  provided  they  are  so  presented  as  not  to  give  the  impression 
of  brusqueness.  Some  firms  have  established  the  policy  of  adopting 
a  more  cordial  and  gracious  tone  in  the  letters  that  are  sent  to 
foreign  parts  than  they  use  in  domestic  letters.  This  has  been  done 
in  some  cases  for  the  reason  that  foreign  correspondents  have 
sometimes  taken  umbrage  at  the  shorter,  less  polished  American 
way  of  saying  things.  Perhaps  the  best  policy  to  adopt  is  this  : 
Take  from  the  foreign  letter  those  characteristics  of  genuine  courtesy 
that  make  it  distinctive,  but  discard  those  highflown  formalities 
of  expression  and  construction  to  which  it  still  holds,  remembering 
always  that  letter  tone  is  international  in  its  significance. 

The  writer  of  the  business  letter  must  next  have  and  evince 
definite  purpose  in  his  letter  composition.  Be  his  point  of  view 
ever  so  exact,  his  letter  will  fail  unless  he  hews  straight  to  the 
line,  holds  fixedly  to  one  definite  purpose.  And  during  the  weeding- 
out  or  eliminating  process,  he  must  retain  only  those  points  from 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


the  general  or  possible  content  that  focus  strictly  upon  the  purpose 
of  his  letter.  Then,  further  selection  and  rejection  may  be  desir- 
able, for  always  he  is  concerned  with  saying  the  best  rather  than 
the  most,  the  comprehensive  little  rather  than  all.  If,  for  instance, 
reply  is  to  be  made  to  an  angry  claimant,  the  chief  aim  should  be 
to  conciliate.  If  application  for  a  position  with  an  engineering 
concern  is  to  be  made,  the  chief  aim  should  be  to  feature  the 
qualifications  of  the  applicant  that  bear  especially  upon  engineering. 
If  the  sale  of  a  service  is  the  problem,  the  chief  aim  should  be  to 
play  up  the  service  in  relation  to  the  personal  interests  of  the 
one  addressed.  Purpose  is  the  subjective  pole  ;  point  of  view  the 
objective  pole  in  business  letter  composition.  The  purpose  is  the 
writer's  ;  the  point  of  view  the  recipient's.  Between  the  two, 
working  from  the  one  to  the  other,  comes  the  process  of  planning. 

Having  arrived  at  the  proper  point  of  view  and  the  definite 
purpose  of  his  letter  content,  the  writer  of  the  business  letter 
should  decide  upon  certain  principal  topics  to  be  developed,  together 
with  the  minor  or  subordinate  points  related  to  each.  Next, 
these  should  be  planned  or  ordered  or  arranged.  If  elimination 
implies  selection  and  unity,  it  likewise  implies  classification.  He 
who  has  formed  constructive  habits  of  thinking,  thinks  in  com- 
partments, so  to  speak.  The  letter  outline  may  be  initiated  by 
means  of  annotations  on  the  margins  of  a  letter  that  is  to  be 
answered,  or  in  a  notebook  kept  for  the  purpose.  Certainly, 
one  of  these  methods  should  be  followed  by  the  beginner.  He  who 
has  had  long  experience  in  the  writing  or  dictation  of  letters  will 
probably  have  formed  the  habit  of  making  a  mental  outline  of  parts 
on  the  spur.  To  him,  the  logical  and  ordered  presentation  of  what 
he  has  to  say  may  have  become  second  nature  just  as  the  result  of 
long,  continuous  practice  in  letter  writing.  The  beginner,  however, 
must  proceed  more  slowly.  Having  selected  his  troops,  he  will 
find  it  necessary  to  array  them  severely  in  martial  order  before  he 
gives  the  "  Forward,  March  !  " 

Aristotle,  in  his  Poetics,  likened  the  parts  of  a  composition  to  an 
animal — head,  body,  tail,  or  beginning,  middle,  end — and  thereby 
indicated  not  only  logical  partitioning  but  logical  proportioning  as 
well.  But  he  did  not  have  in  mind  the  long-waisted  German 
dachshund  or  the  short- waisted  French  poodle.  The  Greek  dog 
must  have  been  of  "  fair  proportion  and  graceful  line,"  if  this 

54 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


simile  is  to  be  justified.  Still,  this  Greek  comparison,  while  happily 
applicable  to  general  composition,  must  be  modified  somewhat 
further  in  its  application  to  business  letter  composition.  In  letters, 
and  especially  in  business  letters,  the  introduction  and  the  con- 
clusion are  to  be  kept  at  a  minimum,  if  indeed  they  are  necessary 
at  all.  Not  so  many  years  ago  it  was  customary  to  open  practically 
all  letters  in  this  fashion  :  "  Your  letter  of  July  20  is  received." 
Something  of  this  kind  is  still,  in  many  cases,  a  valuable  letter 
opening,  for  it  clinches  the  receipt  of  a  letter  and  links  that  letter 
up  with  the  one  it  prefaces.  But  the  efficient  filing  of  letters  has 
made  such  data  largely  unnecessary  in  the  body  of  the  letter. 
Devices  for  connection  and  follow-up  may  now  be  carried  in  abbre- 
viated form  without  the  boundaries  of  the  letter  proper,  and  the 
letter  may  be  begun  straightaway  with  the  subject  to  be  discussed, 
little  or  no  introductory  matter  being  required.  In  the  same 
way,  the  conclusion  of  the  business  letter,  which  invariably  used 
to  be  (and  still  is  in  far  too  many  cases)  something  like  this  : 
"  Trusting  this  will  meet  with  your  entire  approval,  I  am,"  has 
come  to  be  less  and  less  formal  and  conventional,  and  more  and 
more  natural  and  conclusive.  The  participial  conclusion  {see  page 
21)  is  a  conclusion  that  does  not  conclude.  The  more  appropriate 
letter  endings  are  endings  that  close  and  conclude  the  discussion 
at  the  same  time. 

The  order  of  development  in  the  business  letter  should  in  general 
be  from  You,  They,  and  Company  to  We,  Us,  and  Company  ;  that 
is,  the  letter  should  indicate  at  the  outset  that  the  writer  has 
achieved  the  proper  attitude  and  point  of  view. 

The  order  of  development  in  the  business  letter  should  be  logical ; 
that  is,  the  ideas  should  be  so  connected  and  related  and  pro- 
portioned as  to  grow  one  out  of  the  other  rationally  and  naturally, 
and  should  leave  the  impression  that  the  writer  had  decided  upon 
a  definite  purpose  before  he  began  to  write. 

The  order  of  development  in  the  business  letter  should,  as  a  rule, 
proceed  from  general  to  particular,  or  from  cause  to  effect,  regularly 
and  consistently ;  that  is,  there  should  be  evidence  in  the  letter 
composition  that  the  writer  was  at  pains  to  array  his  facts  in  the 
easiest  and  most  interesting  fashion  for  the  reader  to  grasp.  When 
on  occasion  this  order  has  to  be  reversed,  and  the  development 
made  from  particular  to  general  or  from  effect  to  cause,  the  same 

55 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


consistent  procedure  and  the  same  play  for  the  reader's  interest 
should  be  observed.  It  should  be  possible  to  write  Q.E.D.  (quod 
erat  demonstrandum)  at  the  bottom  of  every  business  letter,  with 
as  much  truth  and  appropriateness  as  at  the  bottom  of  a  geometrical 
proposition.  This  achievement  can  best  be  realized  in  the  majority 
of  business  letter  situations,  first,  by  stating  a  proposition,  then  by 
elaborating  its  details,  and  last,  by  referring  briefly  to  the  original 
promise.  Care  should  be  taken  all  along  the  way  to  treat  of  but 
one  thing  at  a  time  and  to  treat  of  it  tersely  and  conclusively. 
And  it  is  important  that  there  be  as  few  points  as  possible  for  the 
reader  to  keep  in  mind.  Old  Dr.  Tenthly  has  been  a  long  time 
dead.  We  no  longer  have  sermons,  even,  that  go  into  the  tenth 
proposition.  The  argument  that  cannot  be  driven  home  in  three 
or  four  points  at  most  is  too  long  and  involved  for  the  average 
business  letter. 

In  all  of  your  planning,  remember  that  the  mechanics  of  con- 
struction must  be  kept  subordinate.  Your  reader  wants  to  be 
given  the  feeling  of  movement,  of  being  carried  along,  without 
being  made  conscious  of  the  machinery  or  the  running  of  the 
wheels.  If  you  are  replying  to  an  important  claim,  you  may  make 
use  of  a  plan  suggestive  of  four  paragraphs,  as  follows  : 

Pacify — the  claimant. 
Explain — the  situation. 
Rectify — the  error. 
Retain — the  custom. 

It  is  not  necessary — indeed,  it  may  be  fatal — for  you  to  allow  the 
claimant  to  perceive  the  deliberate  processing  of  your  adjustment. 
Your  work  is  to  make  him  feel  the  movement  of  your  reasoning. 
The  method  is  for  you  ;  the  manner  is  for  him.  But  you  must 
have  the  method  positively  fixed  in  your  own  mind  in  order  to 
impress  your  manner  most  effectively  upon  him.  Your  method  is 
to  be  worked  out  in  the  letter  laboratory.  The  impression  your 
letter  makes  as  the  result  of  this  is,  or  should  be,  derived  from  the 
spontaneous  radiation  of  your  personality  during  the  period  of 
experimentation . 

It  is  impossible  to  indicate  processes  of  elimination,  that  is,  of 
plan  and  purpose  and  point  of  view,  for  all  kinds  and  conditions  of 
business  letters.     The  field  is  too  wide  and  too  varied  to  permit  of 

v56 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS   LETTER 


anything  more  than  the  enunciation  of  general  principles.  More 
would  probably  not  be  desirable  if  it  were  possible.  Brief,  general 
outlines  are  suggested  in  individual  chapters  thruout  the  book. 
The  following  letters,  with  the  annotations  that  precede  and 
accompany  them  do,  however,  illustrate  the  salients  of  letter 
construction  along  the  lines  above  briefly  pointed  out. 

The    following    tripartite    inquiry    was    sent    to    five    different 
financial  institutions  in  widely  separated  sections  of  the  country  : 

Inquiry. 


1.  Do  you  settle  estates 
and  act  as  guardian  ? 

2.  What  amount  of  de- 
posit do  you  require  for 
daily  balance  interest, 
and  what  is  the  rate  ? 

3.  Do  you  advise  invest- 
ing in  (lerman  marks 
at  present  ?  If  so, 
can  you  undertake  to 
buy  some  for  me  ? 


The  plan  of  the  reply  was  indicated,  of  course,  by  the  plan  of 
the  inquiry,  as  should  be  the  case  in  such  letters,  as  a  rule.  A 
highly  capitalized,  conservative,  and  comfortable  institution  that 
has  for  years  waxed  fat  and  formidable  managing  the  estates  of 
the  first  families  in  its  community,  just  jotted  down  the  following 
on  the  margin  of  the  letter  and  sent  it  back  with  a  psychological 

^^"g  '  First  Reply. 


Yes. 

Interest  allowed  on 
balances  of  over 
$250. 

We  do  not. 
We  can  not. 


S7 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


This  was  a  reply  merely,  and  hardly  that.  The  man  who  wrote 
it  was  evidently  a  "  rutineer  "  concerned  principally  with  getting 
correspondence  off  his  desk  regardless  of  plan,  purpose,  or  point  of 
view.     He  was  certainly  not  a  business  builder. 

The  second  reply  did  more,  but  not  much  more.  It  followed  the 
plan  of  the  inquiry,  but  it  ignored  the  elements  of  purpose  and 


Second  Reply. 


In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  27th 
instant,  we  answer  your  inquiries 
as  follows : 


1.  We  do  not  have  fiduciary 
powers,  and  consequently  do  not 
settle  estates  or  act  as  guardian  to 
legatees. 


2.  It  is  not   our  general  practice 
to  pay  interest  on  checking  accounts. 


3.  We  are  not  encouraging  our 
customers  to  purchase  German  marks 
for  investment,  as  there  is,  of  course, 
considerable  speculative  risk  relative 
thereto. 


point  of  view.  It  was  consequently  negative.  It  radiated  the 
desire  on  the  part  of  somebody  to  "  shove  letters  off  his  desk  "  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  But  at  least  he  used  a  fresh,  clean  letterhead, 
and  complied  with  the  conventions  of  letter  writing. 

We  expect  the  man  who  merely  handles  correspondence  to  be 
guilty  of  such  "  bromides  "  as  :  7w  reply  to,  27th  instant,  and  relative 
thereto. 

The  third  reply  was  somewhat  more  expansive,  yet  it  showed 
but  slight  interest  in  a  possible  opportunity  to  extend  and  broaden 

58 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

service.     It   was   colorless   and   commonplace,    and    the  personal 
pronoun  we  obtruded  : 


Third  Reply. 


We  have  your  letter  of  December  16. 
We  do  both  manage  and  settle  estates, 
and  in  that  connection  we  enclose  two 
booklets  which  may  interest  you. 

We  credit  monthly  the  accounts  of  our 
depositors  with  interest  at  the  rate  of  2% 
on  amounts  of  $1000.  and  over.  However, 
where  the  amount  of  interest  for  any  month 
is  less  than  $1.,  no  interest  is  credited. 
Accounts  are  accepted  where  the  average 
balance  is  not  less  than  $200. 

We  can  purchase  German  marks  for  you, 
but  as  the  price  fluctuates  daily  we  cannot 
give  you  the  rate.  Yesterday's  closing 
rate  was  2.18  cents  per  mark.  Owing  to 
the  very  unsettled  condition  of  foreign 
exchange,  v/e  are  scarcely  able  to  classify 
the  purchase  and  holding  of  marks  as  an 
investment,   but  rather  as  a  speculation. 


The  fourth  reply  was  better,  tho  we  and  /  struggled  everlastingly 
for  first  place,  we  winning  the  day.  This  letter  showed,  however, 
by  its  attitude  and  its  comprehensiveness  that  the  inquiry  had 
received  human  rather  than  mechanical  attention. 

The  fifth  reply  evinced  not  only  business-building  purpose, 
elaborate  plan,  and  ingratiating  attitude,  but  it  went  further  and 
radiated  the  tone  of  there's-nothing-too-much-trouble-for-us-to- 
undertake-for-you.  It  may  be  significant  to  add  that  at  the  time 
the  correspondence  took  place  the  institution  that  sent  this  reply 
had  four  new  buildings  under  construction  and  eight  new  foreign 
branches  under  organization.  It  is  safe  to  contend  that  this 
business  expansion  was  in  some  part  due  to  the  "  better  letter 
conscience  "  of  this  particular  bank. 


59 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Introduction 


Discussion 


Conclusion 


Fourth  Reply. 


In  reply  to  your  letter  of  December 
27,  I  am  glad  to  answer  your  several 
questions,  as  follows  : 

1 .  We  are  qualified  to  act  as  execu- 
tors, administrators,  and  trustees,  and 
as  guardians  of  the  personal  estates  of 
individuals.  I  am  sending  to  you 
under  separate  cover  some  of  our 
advertising  material  which  I  think 
you  will  find  very  interesting. 

2.  We  allow  2%  on  average  daily 
balances  in  excess  of  $500.  for  com- 
mercial accounts  and  4%  on  savings 
accounts  on  sums  remaining  on  deposit 
for  six  months.  This  interest  is  com- 
puted, however,  quarterly  on  the  first 
days  of  January,  April,  July,  and 
October,  all  sums  deposited  within  the 
first  three  business  days  of  these 
months  being  credited  with  interest 
as  of  the  first. 

3.  We  have  no  securities  for  invest- 
ment which  would  be  attractive,  I 
believe,  in  the  New  York  market, 
inasmuch  as  most  of  the  securities  we 
deal  in  are  preferred  stocks  of  nearby 
corporations. 

I  should  be  glad  to  hear  from  you 
further  if  we  can  furnish  you  any 
additional  information. 


Fifth  Reply 


Intro- 
duction 


Trustee- 
ship 
Legalized 


Your  letter  of  December  third  has  been 
received  and  we  are  glad  to  have  the  oppor- 
tunity of  answering  the  questions  you  ask. 

By  the  law  of  the  State,  we  are  vested  with 
the  power  to  act  as  an  executor  or  trustee 
under  a  will  or  deed,  and  our  officers  will  be 
very  glad  indeed  to  have  you  call  upon  them 
and  give  them  the  opportunity  of  discussing 
this  matter  with  you. 

[Conid.  '•np  61 

60 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Interest 


Active 
Accounts 


Inactive 
Accounts 


German 
Mark 


Explana- 
tion 


Accom- 
modation 


Conclu- 
sion 


Contd.  from  p.  60] 

On  checking  accounts  we  require  a  minimum 
balance  at  our  main  office  of  $1000.,  but  at 
our  uptown  office  this  minimum  is  $500.  Upon 
all  amounts  in  excess  of  this  we  pay  interest 
as  follows : 

2%  on   $500.  to   $25,000. 
2\%    „    $25,000.  to   $50,000. 
3%     ,,    $50,000.  and  over. 

Should  the  account  be  an  inactive  one,   an 

account    of    which    the    relative    number    of 

changes  is  comparatively  few,  we  would  pay 

2%  on   $500.  to   $5000. 

2\%    „     $5000.  to   $10,000. 

3%    „     $10,000.  and  over. 

At  present  the  German  mark  is  selling  at  2.30, 
but  you  will  understand  that  this  point  is  by  no 
means  stable.  We  can  and  will  sell  you  $100. 
worth  of  marks  if  such  is  your  desire,  but  we 
recommend  against  such  investment  just  now. 
It  is  altogether  a  hazardous  investment  and 
comes  under  the  terminology  of  speculation. 
At  this  moment  the  entire  foreign  exchange 
market  is  demoralized,  and  no  one  can  tell 
what  is  going  to  happen  for  there  are  so  many 
things  entering  in.  Political  as  well  as 
economic  elements  are  to  be  considered,  and 
for  the  time  being  at  least  we  do  not  advise 
speculation. 

However,  if  you  should  desire  to  purchase 
marks,  the  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  place  them 
on  deposit  in  a  German  bank  where  they  would 
draw  interest  during  the  time  that  you  were 
waiting  for  their  value  to  increase. 

It  is  our  sincere  hope  that  we  have  given  you 
the  information  you  desire.  Be  assured  that 
we  shall  be  glad  to  answer  any  further 
inquiries  that  you  may  have,  and  to  serve  you 
in  any  way  within  our  powers. 


61 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


These  letters  show  to  some  extent  the  extreme  range  of  variation 
that  may  exist  in  the  philosophy  of  correspondence  among  different 
houses  engaged  in  the  same  line  of  business.  Also,  if  identification 
of  these  letters  were  to  be  made  here  and  now,  it  would  prove  that 
in  proportion  as  a  business  institution  radiates  the  big  attitude 
in  its  letters,  even  so  does  it  become  big  in  reputation  and  character, 
activity  and  achievement,  stability  and  capitalization. 

The  following  letters,  each  accompanied  with  running  plan  and 
each  evincing  definite  purpose  and  proper  point  of  view,  may  prove 
helpful  by  way  of  additional  illustration : 


A  unitfrojH  an  effective  follow-up  series. 


Purpose 


Service 


Cooperation 


Accommo- 
dations 


Sales  Note 


Thank  you  for  the  account  you  have 
just  opened  with  us. 

We  want  to  ask  you  at  the  very  outset 
of  your  relation  to  inform  us  immediately 
if  you  fail  ever  to  get  courteous  and 
efficient  service. 

Without  your  cooperation  in  this  respect 
we  shall  be  unable  to  make  this  the 
great  service  institution  that  we  want 
to  make  it.  We  want  to  help  you  with 
your  financial  matters  in  every  way  we 
possibly  can. 

At  the  new  account  desk  to  the  left  of 
the  teller's  window  you  will  find  Mr. 
Seabury  always  eager  to  render  assis- 
tance in  any  way  possible.  On  the  right 
of  the  window,  the  Company  secretary, 
Mr.  Lindsay,  and  to  the  rear  of  the 
accounting  room,  the  savings  manager, 
Mr.  Johnson,  will  both  be  grateful  for 
an  opportunity  to  help  you. 

If  you  like  us,  tell  your  friends. 


62 


thp:  composition  of  the  business  letter 


A  few  interesting  generalities  focused  upon  YOU. 


PARTI 


Classes 

of 

Workers, 

and 

Banks 


PART  II 


You 

and 

the 

Bank 


THEN— 
A  Sales 
Novelty 


The  wage  earner,  according  to 
statistics,  makes  greater  .use  of 
the  savings  department  and  less  of 
the  safe  deposit  department  in  a 
bank,  than  any  other  class  of 
depositors. 

Salary  workers,  on  the  other  hand, 
and  men  with  attractive  incomes, 
are  usually  more  often  interested  in 
certificates  of  deposit. 

Farmers,  lawyers,  doctors,  profes- 
sional people,  make  large  demands 
upon  the  safe  deposit  facilities  of  a 
bank. 

Now  to  just  what  class  do  you  belong? 

Well,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned,  you 
need  not  answer  conscientiously,  for 
we  are  prepared  to  serve  all  classes  to 
the  limit  of  superior  service. 

The  point  is,  if  you  are  right  in  the 
world  and  with  the  world,  you  do  not 
have  to  be  told  that  you  should  be 
making  some  use  of  a  bank — our  bank. 

We  invite  you,  and  we  shall  extend 
you  a  hearty  wholesome  welcome  if 
you  feel  called  upon  to  avail  yourself 
of  the  unusual  facilities  we  have  to 
offer. 


P.S. — ^The  enclosed  leather  case  is  for 
your  thrift  stamps. 


63 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  well-planned  appeal  for  your  benefit. 


Attention 


Interest 


Belief 


Resolution 


Action 


Safety  not  only  first,  but  last  and  always 
as  well. 

And  it  is  your  safety  that  we  are 
speaking  of. 

You  have  heard  of  unsinkable  ships  that 
were  sunk,  and  of  unwreckable  cars  that 
were  wrecked.  You  may  have  heard  of 
unrobbable  safe  deposit  vaults  that  were 
robbed.     But  they  were  not  ours. 

The  vaults  of  the  Excelsior  Bank  are 
buried  deep  in  good  old  Mother  Earth, 
surrounded  by  re-enforced  concrete, 
surrounded  by  stone,  surrounded  by 
brick,  surrounded  by  heavy  steel  plates. 
And  then — the  strongest  and  latest- 
improved  safes  are  placed  in  them  and 
are  kept  under  the  close  watch,  day  and 
night,  of  a  strong-arm  detective  squad. 

If  these  vaults  are  not  unrobbable,  then 
nothing  in  the  world  can  be. 

They  constitute  an  invincible  bulwark 
for  bullion,  and  they  are  for  your  use,  for 
from  five  dollars  a  year  upward, 
according  to  the  size  of  space  you 
require.  The  high  degree  of  safety  is 
the  same  for  all. 

The  enclosed  card  is  for  your  convenience. 


64 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


The  important  thing  is  to  show  that  no  harm  was 
done,  tho  somebody  had  blundered. 


Acknow- 
ledgment 

and 
Point  of 
View 


Explana- 
tion 


Assurance 

and 

Re-assur- 
ance 


We  are  indebted  to  you  for  your  letter  of 
Thursday,  March  tenth.  It  is  a  matter  of 
concern  to  us  that  a  customer  as  highly 
esteemed  as  you  are  and  have  been  for  so 
many  years,  should  have  been  caused 
embarrassment  thru  any  shortcoming  on 
our  part. 

You  will  be  gratified  to  know,  however, 
that  the  goods  ordered  by  the  Martin 
Company  were  charged  to  your  account 
as  and  when  directed.  And  we  further 
protected  your  interests  with  your 
customers,  by  forwarding  the  consign- 
ment by  special  express  on  the  day  it 
was  received  here.  This,  even  tho  your 
letter  of  March  third  was  delayed  in 
reaching  us  owing  to  its  having  been 
routed  to  the  wrong  department. 

Under  these  circumstances  we  have  not 
communicated  with  either  of  the  shipping 
firms,  as  there  was  no  delay  in  forwarding 
and,  consequently,  no  inconvenience 
caused  to  your  customers.  The  shipment 
was  handled  just  exactly  as  if  no  error 
had  been  made. 

We  hope  that  you  have  not  been  incon- 
venienced by  the  occurrence.  At  this 
late  date  of  our  relationship  it  is 
unnecessary  for  us  to  assure  you  that  we 
are  at  all  times  anxious  and  eager  to  give 
you  the  best  possible  service.  It  is  for 
this  very  important  reason  that  we 
especially  appreciate  your  bringing  the 
present  matter  to  our  attention,  for  it  is 
only  by  such  whole-hearted  cooperation 
as  you  have  thus  rendered  that  we  are 
able  to  correct  and  prevent  such 
oversights. 


5— (429) 


65 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  good  example  of  reason-why  letter  copy. 


Catch 


Compel 


Confirm 


Clinch 


Conclude 


Strength — Safety — Four  Per  Cent 
Interest — and  Service  ! 

These,  you  will  admit,  are  the  Big 
Four  considerations  for  every  one  in 
deciding  the  placement  of  his  money. 

We  have  the  distinction  of  being  the 
oldest  and  largest  savings  bank  in  the 
country.  And  this  distinction  is  ours 
partly  because  we  have  established  a 
reputation  for  providing  these  four 
essentials  to  the  nth  degree  of 
satisfaction. 

Note,  please,  our  latest  report  to  the 
banking  department  of  the  State  of 
Maryland  : 


Capital 

and 
Surplus 

Deposits 


$8,000,000. 


$70,000,000. 


In  the  past  five  years  alone  we  have 
had  an  increase  of  close  upon 
$25,000,000.  in  deposits. 

These  facts  seem  to  us  to  prove 
something  very  definitely. 

Our  mail  facilities  are  unexcelled.  The 
four  corners  of  the  earth  send  us  their 
savings  in  order  to  benefit  by  the  four 
per  cent  interest  compounded  twice 
a  year. 

Perhaps  you  would  like  to  become  one 
of  our  depositors  ?  If  so,  please  make 
use  of  the  enclosed  enrolment  card. 

AND 

be  assured  always  of  the  best  banking 
attention  it  is  possible  to  give. 


66 


Attention 


Interest 


Belief 


Resolution 


Action 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Economize 

This  is  an  entry  from  the  diary  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  showing  how 
the  great  Utterateur  wrote  on  a  business  subject  : 

The  expense  of  my  journey  will  be  something  considerable  which  I  can 
provide  against  by  borrowing  five  hundred  pounds  from  Mr.  Gibson.  Mr. 
Cadell  I  owe  already,  with  the  cancels  of  these  apoplectic  books,  about 
two  hundred  pounds  and  I  must  run  it  up  to  five  hundred  pounds  at  least. 

A  business  man  would  probably  have  made  this  entry  somewhat 
as  follows  : 

Must  borrow  ;^500  from  Mr.  G.  for  my  journey.  Owe  Mr.  C.  ;^200  but 
must  ask  him  for  ;^300  more. 

Yet,  a  large  business  house  a  little  while  ago  sent  Christmas 
and  New  Year  greetings  as  shown  on  page  68  to  its  customers. 

The  Scott  excerpt  above  is  complete  without  being  concise. 
The  condensation  of  it  that  follows  is  concise,  and  complete  enough 
for  the  medium  in  which  it  is  expressed.  The  letter  of  greetings 
is  extravagant  and  verbose.  The  first  is  full  but  not  economical. 
The  second  is  sufficient  and  economical.  The  third  is  diffuse  and 
wasteful. 

Economy  means  not  only  thrift  in  diction,  but  in  phrase  and 
clause  and  sentence  and  whole  composition  as  well.  By  elimination 
we  have  indicated,  among  other  things,  the  rejection  of  all  irrelev- 
ancies  in  thought  and  idea,  and  all  unnecessary  devices  of  arrange- 
ment. By  economy  we  mean  to  indicate  the  studied  omission  of 
all  irrelevancies  of  expression,  all  unnecessary  repetition,  all  circum- 
locution. Accuracy  without  tediousness,  brevity  without  brusque- 
ness — these  all  business  men  like  and  respect  in  conversation. 
And  business  men  like  and  respect  these  qualities  equally  well  in 
writing.  The  expression  "  Come  to  the  point  "  is  frequently  heard. 
It  has  been  current  for  years,  for  men  have  always  been  annoyed 
by  devious  detours  in  speech  and  writing.  It  long  ago  gave  name 
to  the  style  of  certain  authors  who  aimed  at  acuteness  or  piquancy 
or  pointedness  in  their  writings.  If  it  be  the  result  of  one  policy 
m^e  than  another,  it  is  the  result  of  wise  and  foresighted  economy 
in  expression,  or,  conversely,  of  wise  and  foresighted  avoidance  of 
overdetailed  and  extravagant  expression. 

67 


Business  letter  practice 


If  a  man  spend  his  money  recklessly,  we  call  him  a  wastrel ;  he 
is  not  understood  of  people  ;  his  life  loses  point  and  purpose,  and 
he  radiates  confusion.     If  a  man  save  his  money  "  recklessly," 

The  compliments  of  the  season  are  completely  concealed 
by  useless  words  and  involved  phraseology. 


To  some  of  our  friends,  you  doubtless  among  the 
rest,  there  comes  at  such  times  as  these  a  somewhat 
nervous,  not  to  say  wrathful,  attitude  toward  things 
in  general,  and  towards  business  and  industry  in 
particular.  The  trials  of  meeting  the  demands  of 
labor  and  the  constantly  increasing  costs  of  living 
are  by  no  means  trivial,  we  must  admit.  Yet  there 
is  a  wholesome  and  refreshing  tone  in  the  atmosphere 
of  reconstruction. 

As  the  year  draws  to  a  close  retrospect  is  naturally 
dominant  in  many  quarters,  and  it  brings  with  it 
a  feeling  of  grave  doubt  and  unrest.  But  those  who 
have  their  pulse  on  the  business  interests  of  this  great 
nation  of  ours  are  vastly  more  absorbed  with  the 
prospect  than  with  the  retrospect,  for  their  clear 
vision  beholds  nothing  but  peace,  security,  and 
prosperity  adown  the  forward  vista. 

It  is  the  judgment  of  all  of  those  who  have  to  do 
intimately  with,  business  and  industry  that  our 
problems,  as  well  as  our  disturbed  conditions  of 
mind  and  heart,  will  settle  themselves  speedily  and 
permanently,  if  every  one  will  just  simply  and 
quietly  go  about  the  work  that  stands  waiting  to 
be  done. 

So  we  invite  you  to  give  yourself  over  cheerfully  and 
hopefully  to  the  spirit  of  this  sacred  and  inspiring 
season  of  the  year  and  ask  you  to  accept  our  heartiest 
wishes  for  a  Merry  Christmas  and  a  Happy  New  Year. 


that  is  to  say,  passionately,  and  undergoes  deprivation  to  do  •so, 
we  call  him  a  miser  ;  he  is  misjudged  and  misunderstood ;  his 
life  becomes  absurdly  concentrated  upon  one  thing,  and  he  radiates 


68 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


inadequacy.  If  a  man  spend  his  money  indifferently,  regardless 
of  value  received,  not  discerning  where  it  goes,  we  call  him  an  easy 
victim  ;  he  is  scorned  or  ridiculed  or  pitied  for  his  stupidity  and 
indiscretion  ;  his  life  becomes  misappropriated,  and  he  radiates 
irrationality. 

Now,  all  of  this  parallels  pretty  accurately  three  faults  in  business 
speaking  and  writing  that  grow  out  of  an  ignoring  or  a  misinter- 
pretation of  the  principle  of  economy.  A  loose,  wasteful,  careless 
use  of  language  leads  to  annoying  repetition  and  circumlocution. 
If  you  say,"  at  the  present  time,"  "  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  Michigan," 
and  "  in  the  month  of  December  "  for  "at  present,"  "  in  Detroit, 
Michigan,"  and  "  in  December,"  you  are  a  dictional  and  phrasal 
wastrel.  If  you  say  "  We  believe  that  we  should  be  safe  first," 
instead  of  "  We  believe  in  safety  first,"  you  are  a  clausal  wastrel. 
If  you  say  "  This  is  the  glove  that  was  made  by  the  man  who  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  city  of  Gloversville.  This  city  is  in 
New  York,"  instead  of  "  This  glove  was  made  by  one  of  the  founders 
of  Gloversville,  New  York,"  you  are  a  sentence  wastrel. 

If  you  use  the  first  half  of  a  letter  page  to  tell  a  story,  whether 
or  not  it  be  connected  with  the  subject  of  the  letter,  you  are  a 
composition  wastrel.  This  is  not  to  say  that  a  good  story  or  a 
bit  of  humor  is  always  out  of  order.  On  the  contrary,  one  or  the 
other,  or  both,  may  be  the  best  possible  aid  to  economy.  But  much 
time  is  wasted  and  much  attention  irrecoverably  diverted  even  yet 
in  business  literature  by  stories  and  other  asides  that  simply  do 
not  "  take."  If  the  lighter  vein  must  be  indulged,  let  it  be 
connected  and  appropriate.  And  there^  are  cases,  too,  where  more 
words  than  are  actually  necessary  to  convey  meaning,  may  be 
helpful.  Rhythmic  or  epigrammatic  tersity  is  frequently  desirable 
even  when  the  principle  of  economy  is  in  part  sacrificed.  "  Ask 
the  man  who  owns  one  "  is  vastly  more  expressive  and  memorable 
than  "  Ask  the  owner."  Strive  for  economy, 'but  strive  also  for 
economy  with  adaptation  and  impressiveness.  Economy  is  usually 
more  forceful,  more  lucid,  and  more  intimate  than  any  of  its 
opposite,  more  extravagant  forms  of  expression.  But  like  all  good 
rules,  this  has  occasional  exceptions. 

It  sometimes  happens  that,  in  an  effort  to  be  especially  clear,  a 
writer  makes  use  of  two  or  more  words  in  succession  that  mean 
the  same  thing.     He  uses  needless  words.     This  is  the  error  of 

69 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


tautology.  It  can  usually  be  rectified  by  omitting  a  word  or  words. 
The  following  illustrate  :  clearly  elucidate,  collect  together,  enclosed 
herewith,  entirely  eliminate,  stand  up. 

Redundancy  is  another  error  of  extravagance  in  the  use  of  words. 
This  means  that  many  more  than  enough  words  have  been  used  to 
express  an  idea.  It  is  tautology  plus.  Note  this  sentence : 
However,  notwithstanding  this  objection  it  seems  to  me  that  the  proposi- 
tion should  he  accepted.  Too  many  words  have  been  used.  Certain 
ones  may  well  be  omitted  for  the  sake  of  immediate  clearness, 
without  loss  to  tHe  central  idea :  Notwithstanding  this  objection  I 
think  the  proposition  should  he  accepted. 

When  words  are  so  extravagantly  used  that  mere  wordiness  is 
the  result,  and  an  orgy  of  diction  seems  to  have  been  the  object  of 
the  writer,  verbosity  is  the  result.  It  is  redundancy  plus  and 
tautology  double  plus.  These  three  errors  may,  for  the  sake  of 
general  clarification,  be  regarded  as  the  positive,  the  comparative, 
and  the  superlative  respectively  in  the  violation  of  the  principle  of 
economy  in  diction.  The  following  sentence  is  verbose.  Nothing 
short  of  a  complete  rewriting  will  make  it  clear  : 

Realizing  that  your  letter  requires  more  revision  and  that  I  can  serve  you 
better,  both  by  way  of  correction  and  suggestion  thru  a  personal  interview 
than  by  correspondence  that  is  subjected  to  continuous  interruption  due  to 
the  unsettled  condition  of  the  railroad  situation  and  the  consequent  tardiness 
in  mail  deliveries,  I  shall  ask  you  to  call  on  me  at  the  Brown  Hotel  on 
Thursday  next  for  an  interview  at  which  time  we  may  be  able  to  go  over 
your  work  mutually  more  advantageously  than  we  otherwise  could  possibly  do. 

The  meaning  of  this  excerpt  may  be  fully  expressed  in  half  as 
many  words: 

Inasmuch  as  a  quiet,  personal  interview  will  be  more  satisfactory  than 
continued  correspondence  under  present  railway  conditions,  I  shall  ask  you 
to  call  upon  me  at  the  Brown  Hotel  next  Thursday,  in  order  that  we  may 
make  further  revision  in  your  letter. 

Do  not  over-economize.  Do  not  become  a  miser  in  speech  or 
writing.  It  may  be  distinctive  and  distinguished  to  be  a  man  of 
few  words,  but  only  provided  those  words  speak  adequately.  Do 
not  mince  your  words.  If  you  say  "  Yours  of  .  .  .  received," 
instead  of  "  Thank  you  for  your  letter  of  .  .  .  "  you  are  miserly 
with  your  subject.     If  you  say  "  We  hke  this  car  better  than 

70 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Harry,"  instead  of  "  We  like  this  car  better  than  Harry  does," 
you  are  a  miser  with  your  predicate.  If  you  say  "  This  is  as 
good,  if  not  better  than  that,"  instead  of  "  this  is  as  good  as  that, 
if  not  better,"  you  are  a  miser  with  your  comparison.  And  so 
forth. 

It  is  permissible,  of  course,  in  business  expression,  for  clauses, 
phrases,  and  even  words  to  stand  alone  and  represent  complete 
thoughts.  This  is  but  a  reflection  of  business  life,  wherein  space 
and  time  are  so  incalculably  valuable.  It  is  also  a  reflection  of 
good  conversational  method.  In  the  natural  ebb  and  flood  of 
conversational  discourse  we  should  become  stilted  and  artificial 
if  we  spoke  always  in  perfectly  rounded  sentences.  We  should  be 
wasting  both  time  and  space  if  in  our  business  writing  we  were 
always  to  insist  upon  perfect  periods.  The  aim  is,  rather,  to  say 
multum  in  parvo — much  in  little — always  with  the  conveyance  of 
exactness  and  certainty,  even  tho  the  conventions  of  grammar  be 
sometimes  "  liberalized  "  in  so  doing.  This  caution  is,  however, 
essential,  namely  :  Remember  that  to  be  abbreviated  does  not  necessarily 
mean  to  be  telegraphic  ;  to  be  brief  does  not  necessarily  mean  to  be 
blunt.  All  messages  are  written  more  or  less  in  code,  and  the 
business  message  is  no  exception.  But  in  reading  technical  matter, 
or  the  sporting  and  financial  pages  of  the  newspaper,  it  is  the 
reader  who  must  adapt  himself  to  the  code ;  whereas,  in  the  business 
letter  it  is  the  writer  who  must  do  the  adapting.  He  is  not  to  be 
tempted  into  expressions  that  are  too  fragmentary,  to  write  letters 
that  bring  this  reply,  "  Please  explain.  We  don't  understand." 
His  code  must  not  be  condensed  to  the  degree  of  insufficiency. 

The  sentence  that  is  too  fragmentary  may  be  as  troublesome  to 
the  reader  as  the  sentence  in  which  ideas  are  aimlessly  repeated. 
The  omission  of  grammatical  elements  may  therefore  result  in  the 
greatest  extravagance  of  time  and  attention  for  him  who  reads. 
The  one  best  test  for  economy  in  business  letter  writing  is  probably 
this  :  See  what  degree  of  reduction  a  letter  will  stand  and  still 
retain  its  meaning.  Can  it  be  reduced  to  a  ten-word  telegram  ? 
Can  it  be  reduced  to  a  single  phrase,  or  to  one  word  ?  If  you  cannot 
reduce  the  central  message  of  every  business  letter  you  write  to  at 
least  a  single  sentence,  then  it  may  be  well  for  you  to  rewrite  the 
whole  message  more  economically,  more  pointedly. 

Economize  to  save  the  other  man's  time  as  well  as  your  own. 

71 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Keep  the  reins  taut,  therefore,  on  words,  phrases,  and  clauses  that 
are  used  subordinately  as  modifiers.  These  are  the  whimsies  of 
expression  that  will  lead  you  far  astray  if  you  are  not  on  your 
guard.  And  there  is  nothing  so  wasteful  of  a  reader's  time  and  so 
exasperating  to  a  reader's  temper  as  the  modifier  that  is  awkwardly 
and  absurdly  out  of  joint.  If  you  say  "  We  only  have  two  orders," 
where  you  mean  "  We  have  only  two  orders,"  you  are  an  easy  prey 
to  one  of  the  whimsies  of  word  modification  in  language.  If  you 
say  "  Replying  to  your  request,  our  office  is  at  your  service  for 
the  convention,"  when  you  mean  "  Replying  to  your  request,  I  am 
glad  to  place  our  office  at  your  service  for  the  convention,"  you  are 
an  easy  victim  to  one  of  the  whimsies  of  phrase  modification. 
If  you  say  "  His  accounts  were  divided  equally  between  his  son  and 
his  daughter  which  were  closed  April  19,"  when  you  mean  "  His 
accounts,  which  were  closed  April  19,  were  divided  equally  between 
his  son  and  his  daughter,"  you  are  duped  by  one  of  the  whimsies 
of  clause  modification.  If  you  say  "  John  James  and  Harry," 
when  you  mean  "  John,  James,  and  Harry,"  you  will  probably 
waste  somebody's  time  by  forgetting  the  comma,  and  may 
cause  him  difficulty  of  understanding. 

In  short,  after  you  have  carefully  selected  words  and  phrases 
and  clauses,  arrange  them  in  such  a  way  as  to  get  the  most  out  of 
them.  Economy  means  not  only  to  refrain  from  lavish  expendi- 
tures, but  also  to  desist  from  misspending,  or  from  misdirected 
expenditures.  If  you  omit  for  the  sake  of  economy,  aim  to  do  it 
so  effectively  that,  were  the  full  and  rounded  phraseology  supplied, 
it  would  not  only  add  to  the  unity  of  the  idea,  but  would  actually 
detract  from  it.  If  you  repeat  an  idea  for  the  sake  of  emphasis, 
say  it  the  first  time  in  the  strongest,  way  in  the  strongest  place, 
and  let  the  emphatic  follow-up  be  frank  and  deliberate,  and  con- 
scious of  itself.  Otherwise,  it  may  appear  to  be  merely  careless, 
inadvertent  excess. 

Where  words,  phrases,  or  clauses  are  made  to  stand  alone  for 
complete  sentences,  as  in  display  sales  and  publicity  letters,  for 
instance,  they  should  be  grouped  for  unity.  A  complete  phrase  or 
clause  should  be  permitted  to  stand  alone  on  a  line  unassociated 
with  any  word  or  phrase  that  belongs  in  meaning  to  the  matter  on 
another  line.  Words  that  carry  special  connotations  should  like- 
wise  be   isolated.     Display   should   mean   the   individualizing   of 

72 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


certain  selected  units  of  expression,  so  that  any  omissions 
are  more  than  compensated  for  by  graphic  grouping.  Observe 
this  : 


Come  to  Chester  in 
the  Keystone  State 


Here,  the  individuaUty  of  each  Hne  is  negatived  by  the  misplace- 
ment of  in.  This  preposition  is  related  to  and  therefore  belongs 
with  the  second  line,  thus  :  • 


Come  to  Chester 
in  the  Keystone  State 


Compare  Note  I  on  the  next  page  with  Note  II.  In  the  first, 
the  use  of  all  the  words  necessary  to  the  complete  expression 
of  the  idea,  as  well  as  the  bad  arrangement,  weakens  the  effect 
of  the  whole.  The  second  example,  however,  is  strengthened  by 
the  omission  and  the  subordination  of  certain  unimportant  words, 
as  well  as  by  the  suggestive  and  appropriate  arrangement. 

Applied  to  the  opening  and  the  closing  of  business  letters,  the 
principle  of  economy  may  be  taken  to  mean  immediateness.  As 
indicated  in  the  previous  section,  letter  invocation  and  letter 
benediction  have  passed,  or,  at  least,  are  passing.  "  Thank  you 
for  your  good  letter  of  the  twelfth  "  is  vastly  more  economical  and 
immediate  as  an  opening  than  the  time-worn  invocation  "  Yours 
of  the  twelfth  at  hand  and  contents  duly  noted."  The  former 
not  only  states  a  fact,  but  it  connotes  an  attitude  as  well,  and  a 
very  important  attitude  at  that.  The  latter  states  a  fact  only, 
and  states  it  in  a  dead  and  decayed  language.  Similarly,  "  Thank 
you  for  this  opportunity  to  help.  Let  us  be  of  service  soon  again," 
is  vastly  more  economical  and  immediate  as  a  closing  than  the 
time-worn  benediction  "  Trusting  this  will  prove  satisfactory, 
thanking  you  for  your  communication,  and  assuring  you  of  our 
best  attention  at  all  times,  we  are."  The  former  is  concise  and 
complete  and  congenial.  The  latter  harks  back  to  the  pishy-pashy 
palaver  of  the  paleozoic  period  !     And  at  the  intermediate  points 

73 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  broad  bottom  bottle  is 
stable,  spacious,  and  satis- 
factory on  table,  bu- 
reau, washstand,  and  chif- 
fonier. 


II. 


The 

Broad  Bottom  Bottle 

Stable  —  Spacious  —  Satisfactory 

on 

Table — Bureau — ^Washstand — Chiffonier 


74 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


in  a  letter,  this  quality  of  immediateness  may  well  be  applied  to 
the  first  and  last  sentences  of  paragraphs,  and  to  other  parts  of 
display  letters.  The  illustrative  letter  on  page  85  shows  how 
this  may  be  done  with  good  effect. 

You  are  frequently  advised  not  to  include  two  or  more  messages 
in  one  letter.  Well  and  good.  If  you  have  something  to  say  to 
both  the  credit  and  the  delivery  department  of  a  large  shop,  write 
two  letters.  If  you  attempt  to  speak  to  both  departments  thru 
the  medium  of  one  letter,  you  will  cause  delay  and  confusion. 
The  letter  will  have  to  be  passed  from  one  department  to  the  other, 
and  in  one  or  the  other  a  copy  wiU  have  to  be  made  in  order  that 
the  letter  may  be  filed  in  two  different  places.  But  this  advice 
does  not  apply  strictly  to  small  shops  that  handle  but  one  line  of 
merchandise,  to  shops  that  maintain  alert  question-and-answer  or 
inquiry  bureaus  just  for  the  purpose  of  assorting  inquiries,  or  to 
any  other  organization  the  activities  of  which  are  so  limited  as  to 
be  known  to  practically  all  employed.  Many  general  questions  are 
permissible  in  a  single  letter,  as  on  page  57,  and  more  than  one 
matter  may  be  discussed  in  a  letter  that  goes  to  a  single  individual, 
provided  his  position  in  a  firm  is  sufficiently  comprehensive  to 
acquaint  him  with  general  policies.  But  where  your  business  is 
specific  to  and  requires  the  attention  of  two  or  more  distinct  depart- 
ments in  a  concern,  in  the  cause  of  economy  write  a  separate  letter 
to  each  department. 

The  chief  purpose  of  punctuation  is  to  clarify.  Punctuation  is 
likewise  an  aid  to  economy  and  emphasis.  Punctuation,  in  other 
words,  is  not  to  be  regarded  merely  as  a  process  in  mechanics,  not 
merely  as  a  jugglery  of  hieroglyphs,  but  as  a  very  intimate  part 
of  the  principles  and  thought  processes  graphically  presented  on 
page  51 .  The  rules  for  the  use  of  the  various  marks  of  punctua- 
tion are  therefore  stated  in  abridged  form  in  connection  with  the 
treatment  of  these  principles.  Following  the  statement  of  rules, 
letters  will  be  given  in  which  the  punctuation  marks  will  be  seen 
in  dress  rehearsal ;  that  is,  they  will  be  immediately  applied  as 
aids  to  economy  or  energy  or  clearness,  as  the  case  may  be. 

The  period  and  the  colon  are  placed  under  the  principle  of 
economy.  In  a  very  general  way  they  may  be  called  aids  to 
economy.  The  comma,  the  semicolon,  quotation  marks,  paren- 
theses, and  brackets  will  be  defined  under  clearness.     In  a  very 

75 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


general  way  these  may  be  called  the  special  marks  of  elucidation. 
The  dash,  the  question  mark,  the  exclamation  mark  will  be  defined 
under  energy.  In  a  very  general  way  these  marks  may  be  said 
to  energize  expression,  when  properly  used. 

This  somewhat  arbitrary  classification  is  made  partly  for  con- 
venience, but  partly  also  for  its  genuineness  of  application.  If  the 
language  in  which  we  write  our  letters  is  fluid  and  flexible,  it 
follows  that  its  punctuation  must  be  also.  Absolute  rigidity  of 
rule  and  application  is  no  more  possible  in  the  treatment  of 
punctuation  than  it  is  in  the  treatment  of  forms  of  expression  and 
their  relationships.  And  it  is  a  lucky  thing  for  the  facility  of  our 
language  that  this  is  so. 

If  you  are  in  doubt  about  the  use  of  punctuation  marks  in  your 
letter  writing,  the  chances  are  that  you  should  rewrite  until  you 
can  feel  just  where  they  positively  belong.  For  punctuation  is 
emotional,  as  well  as  visual  and  auditory.  There  are  comma  and 
exclamatory  temperaments,  interrogative  nerves,  and  parenthetical 
characters.  Do  not  permit  yourself  to  become  self-conscious 
regarding  punctuation.  It  is  the  servant  of  expression  and  by 
no  means  the  master  Use  it  therefore  as  and  when  needed  ; 
do  not  be  used  by  it.  Depend  as  largely  as  possible  upon  precise 
diction  and  accurate  constructions  to  convey  your  meaning. 
Occasionally  call  punctuation  to  your  aid,  but  keep  internal 
punctuation — punctuation  that  is  used  within  sentences — at  a 
minimum  in  business  expression. 

The  Period    (  .  ) 

1.  The  period  is  used  at  the  close  of  declarative  and  most 
imperative  sentences. 

2.  The  period  is  used  after  most  abbreviations. 

3.  The  period  is  used  after  numbers  and  letters  that  mark  off 
divisions  in  a  piece  of  composition. 

4.  The  period  is  sometimes  used  in  succession  to  indicate 
omissions. 

5.  The  period  is  used  after  whole  numbers  to  set  off  decimals. 
It  is  preferable  (and  safer)  to  use  the  period  after  a  whole  number 
indicating  a  sum  of  money,  as  here  :  "  We  gave  him  $100.  for  the 
bond."     This  prevents  the  possible  addition  to  the  sum  in  case 


76 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


the  matter  is  not  closely  set.     But  this  rule  is  as  yet  by  no  means 
generally  observed. 

6.  When  parenthetical  matter  constitutes  a  complete  thought, 
and  is  thus  properly  begun  with  a  capital  letter,  the  period  is  placed 
within  the  parentheses.  When  such  matter  does  not  constitute 
a  complete  thought,  but  is  an  addendum  or  elaboration,  and  is 
really  a  related  part  of  the  sentence  into  which  it  breaks,  the 
period  is  placed  without  the  parentheses  : 

I  cannot  say  why  he  lost  his  place.  (We  shall  probably  get  the  facts  later.) 
The  point  now  is,  we  must  find  another  position  for  him. 

He  arrived  about  six  o'clock  {five  by  daylight  saving). 

The  Colon     (  : ) 

(1)  The  colon  is  used  before  a  long  or  formal  quotation,  statement, 
or  proposition. 

(2)  The  colon  is  used  after  the  salutation  in  a  business  letter. 

(3)  The  colon  is  used  after  the  word  following  or  the  phrase  as 
follows,  or  some  other  similar  word  or  phrase  indicating  that 
explanatory  or  illustrative  matter  is  to  be  presented.  The  comma, 
or  the  comma  and  the  dash,  are  also  sometimes  used  for  this  purpose, 
but  their  use  should  be  confined  to  those  cases  where  the  explanatory 
matter  is  short  and  simple. 

(4)  The  colon  is  used  between  two  clauses  when  the  latter 
elaborates  the  former  in  some  way. 

(5)  The  colon  is  frequently  used  between  figures  that  indicate 
different  time  and  place,  and  between  place  and  other  names  used 
in  immedial^e  succession. 

The  letter  on  page  78  illustrates  these  uses  of  the  period  and  the 
colon.  Marginal  reference  is  made  by  number,  the  numbers 
referring  to  the  use  of  the  colon  being  plshced  in  parentheses,  as 
above.  The  student  should  also  note  other  marks  of  punctuation 
used  in  the  letter,  and  account  for  them. 

The  principles  named  in  the  graph  on  page  51  are  naturally  all 
inter-related  and  inter-dependent.  If  you  take  pains  to  follow 
one,  you  thereby  are  on  the  way  towards  all  the  others.  The 
contents  of  each  section,  as  well  as  the  illustrative  material  neces- 
sarily, therefore,  overlap  to  a  degree.  Unity,  coherence,  and 
emphasis  are  inseparable  in  good  composition.     You  cannot  say, 

77 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


(2)  Dear  Mr.  Brown  : 


Please  let  me  thank  you  personally  for  befriending 
^  our  young  salesman,  Walter  Clark^    He  has  not  been 

a  success  at  selling.  I  cannot  tell  you  why  he  failed. 
(That  will  be  explained  laten)  I  can  tell  you  only 
the  circumstances  connected  with  the  failure. 


6 


Soon  after  his  appointment  he  went  to  Fort  Wayne^^ 
There  he  made  several  serious  errors.  Among  those 
who  were  annoyed  by  these  errors  were  two  large 
firms — one  an  old  custorper  of  ours,  the  other  a  new 
firm  that  we  had  worked  long  to  get  on  our  list. 

2  When  we  heard  that  he  was  insisting  upon  c_.o^d^ 
payment  on  all  small  orders,  we  simply  had  to  dismiss 

(4)  him  :    or  rather,  we  recalled  him  to  the  home  office. 

The  boy  realizes  his  debt  of  gratitude  to  you.  I  quote 
(1)  his  own  words 2  "  Mr.  Ellis  surely  was  kind  to  me," 

(1)  he  said.     Then  he  added  ^  "  I  wish  he  could  know 

how  grateful  I  am." 

5  Mr.  Clark  will  send  you  his  check  for  $97^  tomorrow 

6  (he  will  probably  pay  by  check)_^    This  is  to  reimburse 
you  for  the  following  amounts  that  you  let  him  have 

(3)  for  his  personal  use  : 

3  L  October  .... 

4  2.  November    j,     j.     ^ 
3.  December    7     7     7 

Total 


You  ask  whether  the  firm  will  retain  him  in  the  home 
ofhce.     Of  course.     His  ambition  and   industry   are 
superior.     He  is  on  hand  every  morning  regularly 
(5)  at  7j45  sharp.     His  loyalty  is  unquestioned.     He  is 

an  A  I  accountant,  but  he  will  never  be  a  salesman. 


78 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


As  if  to  show  just  how  bad  a  letter  can  really  he, 
the  Road  Man  writes  to  the  Home  House  with  a 
feeling  (among  MANY  others)  that  he  deserves 
a  raise. 


Billings  says  he  hasn't  yet  received  his  goods. 
Did  you  send  them  ?     If  so,  please  let  me  know  when. 

How  about  that  advertising  ?  Strong  competition 
here.  Sooner  we  get  started  with  some  good  copy 
in  the  local  papers,  the  better. 

Ask  Gates  to  send  me  some  clothes.  This  trip  is 
taking  more  time  than  I  thought  it  would,  and  I 
didn't  come  prepared. 

By  the  way,  that  account  with  Lawrence  that  you 
wired  me  about  is  O.  K.  He's  good  all  right,  but 
has  had  a  series  of  mishaps  this  winter.  I'll  explain 
fully  when  I  get  back.  Meantime,  take  my  word 
that  he's  all  right. 

Why  don't  you  send  that  new  case  to  me  ?  I  cer- 
tainly do  need  it.  The  one  I  have  is  a  disgrace  to 
the  house. 

And  now  Brass  Tacks  :  Don't  you  think  I  really 
ought  to  have  a  raise  ?  It  has  been  a  year  since 
you  sent  a  fleck  of  additional  do- with  my  way,  and 
I've  done  some  pretty  big  things  for  you  in  this 
time.  I  admit  it,  and  I  think  you  ought  to.  Why, 
that  Brown  deal  alone  was  worth  a  cool  $10,000. 
to  the  house  !  And  think  what  I  did  for  you  up  in 
Seattle  and  out  in  Frisco  last  year.  Money  not 
only  says  yes  and  no  and  please  and  God  bless  you, 
but  it  also  sets  the  earth  a-quake_with  I  thank  you. 
So,  please,  Messrs.  Gage,  Strong  and  Company,  let  me 
hear  your  Klondyke  Klaxon  Kallin'  Me.  .  .  .     Yes  ? 

In  anticipation,  I  thank  you. 


P.S.  Tell  Gates  to  put  in  a  couple  o'  pairs  of  pajamas 
and  my  bath  slippers. 


79 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


And  the  Home  House  replies 


Dear  Young  Man  : 

Phew  !  ! 

We've  just  come  up  for  oxygen. 

One  thing  at  a  time  please. 

Your  seventy-five  questions  more  or  less  (seems  to  us 
like  more)  will  be  taken  up  seriatim  as  the  weeks 
go  by. 

This  means  that  in  about  two  years  and  twelve 
months  we'll  come  to  a  discussion  of  your  "  additional 
do- with  "  (whatever  this  refinement  of  the  English 
language  may  mean). 

The  gentle,  not  to  say  delicate  restraint,  with  which 
you  broached  this  matter  is,  however,  appreciated, 
and  we  can  only  regret  that  Mr.  P.  T.  Barnum  is 
not  in  the  land  of  the  living  to  avail  himself  of  your 
acrobatic,  three-ring  style  of  expression. 

We  are  now  taking  on  an  additional  clerical  force 
to  get  the  various  items  of  your  interesting  question- 
naire clipped  and  pasted  on  departmental  calendars. 
These  will  be  uncomplicated,  concentrated,  elaborated, 
circulated,  annotated,  collected,  digested,  recapitu- 
lated, and  then,  as  aforesaid,  replied  to  in  order. 

With  patience  and  long-suffering,  we  thank  you  for 
this  opportunity  of  observing  you. 

Very  truly  yours, 


P.S.  In  the  interim,  Gates  will  try  to  get  your 
pajamas  and  bath  slippers  to  you.  Far  be  it 
from  us  to  oblige  any  of  our  men  to  worry 
along  without  their  "  coseys." 


80 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


A  letter  that  leaves  no  sound  principle  of  business 
writing  inviolate. 


We  are  making  a  success  of  an  up-to-date  Hand 
Laundry  and  would  like  to  secure  your  patronage. 

We  are  doing  work  for  a  number  of  families  and 
they  are  pleased  with  the  careful  and  prompt  attention 
they  receive  at  a  moderate  price. 

Our  work  is  positively  all  done  by  hand  in  the 
most  sanitary  way,  each  wash  being  done  separately 
and  dried  in  the  open  air. 

Perhaps  it  would  interest  you  to  know,  we  make 
a  specialty  in  doing  family  washing  for  a  stated 
amount  by  the  week  or  month,  which  you  will  find 
more  satisfactory  than  having  it  done  at  home. 

We  also  do  Cleaning  and  Dyeing  at  a  very  low 
figure,  at  any  rate  give  us  a  trial,  we  know  we  can 
please  you,  and  you  will  recommend  us  to  your 
friends. 

Our  seamstress  takes  care  that  buttons  are  replaced 
from  your  garments,  clothes  mended  and  torn  hosiery 
darned  without  extra  charge. 

Your  Bed  and  Table  Linen  as  :  Sheets,  Pillow  Cases, 
Table  Cloths,  Towels  and  Napkins  Ironed  exclusively 
by  hand  at  36^  a  dozen. 

Goods  called  for  and  delivered. 

Phone  or  Send  a  Postal  and  our  representative 
will  call. 


81 

6— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


*'  Go  to  ;  I  shall  be  strong  for  unity  and  allow  coherence  and 
emphasis  to  shift  for  themselves."  If  you  do,  you  will  have  divided 
your  composition  house  against  itself,  and  it  will  fall.  The  letter 
on  page  78,  for  instance,  should  have  been  planned.    There  is  much 

The  foregoing  letter  economized — brought  out  of  the 
darkness  into  the  light. 


A  great  many  families  in  your  community  have 
expressed  satisfaction  with  the  work  that  our 
up-to-date  hand  laundry  is  doing  for  them. 

You  may  be  interested  to  know  that  we  specialize 
in  family  washing,  for  which  we  make  an  unusually 
moderate  rate  by  the  week  or  the  month.  Our  price 
for  bed  and  table  linen,  for  instance,  is  only  thirty-six 
cents  a  dozen. 

Our  work  is  all  done  by  hand.  Each  wash  is  retained 
as  a  unit  thruout  all  of  the  laundering  processes. 
Every  piece  is  dried  in  the  open  air.  A  corps  of 
seamstresses  is  employed  to  keep  your  laundered 
articles  in  constant  repair. 

Your  patronage  is  solicited.  If  you  will  return  to 
us  the  enclosed  postcard,  properly  filled  out,  our 
representative  will  call  upon  you  to  explain  further 
our  really  extraordinary  service. 

Thank  you. 


to  be  eliminated.  The  writer  is  inconsiderate  in  his  point  of  view, 
and  he  evinces  too  many  purposes.  His  letter  is  incoherent  and 
unemphatic.  But  his  major  fault  is  undoubtedly  that  of  diffuse- 
ness  and  extravagance.  He  writes  about  too  many  things  at  once. 
He  seems  to  have  written  in  direct  defiance  of  Herbert  Spencer's 
theory  of  economy. 

82 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


A  well-planned  and  economical  follow-up . 


A  good 
linking  up  of 
corre- 
spondence 


Unique 
merchandis- 
ing 
conditions 


Unique 
service 
features 


Nothing 
too  much 
trouble 


We  are  indeed  interested  in  what  you 
say  in  your  letter  of  May  10,  and  are 
eager  to  meet  you  in  the  spirit  of  your 
inquiry. 

The  conditions  under  which  the  Auto 
Strop  Razor  is  marketed,  are  not  dupli- 
cated with  any  other  article  in  the 
merchandising  field.  Our  guarantees 
are  ofiEered  not  merely  as  incident  or 
incentive,  but  as  a  basic  condition  of 
sale. 

In  addition  to  the  four  guarantees  shown 
on  the  enclosed  return  guarantee, 
we  pack  with  every  set  a  slip  promising 
five  hundred  shaves  with  each  package 
of  twelve  blades. 

The  unique  features  of  Auto  Strop 
service    are   explained   in   the    booklet 

BLADE  SERVICE  WITH  THE  AUTO  STROP 

SAFETY  RAZOR,  and  the  catalog  will  give 
you  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  our 
operations. 

In  addition  to  these,  we  are  sending 
imder  separate  cover  other  specimens 
of  our  current  publications. 

If  we  can  assist  you  further,  please 
have  no  hesitation  in  calling  upon  us. 


83 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  complaint  that  observes  the  principles  of 
economy  and  elimination. 


Thank  you  for  your  kind  offer  of  June  6,  to  purchase 

six  lots  for  me. 

As  I  think  I  told  you,  I  am  not  interested  in  small 

parcels.    Heretofore  I  have  dealt  in  acreage  only,  and 

I  think  I  prefer  to  continue  dealing  on  the  larger 

scale. 

Your  disinclination  to  make  a  larger  purchase  for  me, 

on  the  securities  mentioned  in  my  previous  letter, 

is  a  disappointment  to  me.     And,  if  you  will  pardon 

my  saying  so,   it  is  likewise  a  repudiation  of  the 

transaction    you    offered    to    make    for    me   in    my 

conversation  with  you  over  the  telephone. 

I  must  go  even  further  and  add,  that  your  delay  of 

three  days  in  answering  my  letter  has  probably  lost 

for  you  the  opportunity  of  securing  a  particularly 

large  piece  of  business  that  I  had  in  mind  when  I 

wrote.     But  I   understand,   of  course,   that  this  is 

a  particularly  busy  time  of  year. 

Pardon  me. 


And  a  reply  to  the  foregoing  complaint  that 
is  decidedly  over-economized. 


Re     your    communication    of    June    9, 

seriatim  : 

We  did  not  understand  that  you  desired 

acreage  instead  of  small  parcels.     It  is 

impossible,   however,  to  procure  acreage 

in  that  vicinity. 

We  have  neither  record  nor  recollection 

of    the  telephone    conversation   referred 

to.     We  are  unable,  therefore,  to  discuss 

with  you    the  transaction   you   say    we 

offered  to  carry  out  for  you. 

The  delay  in  'answering  your  letter  was 

caused  by  the  intervening  holidays,  &nd 

also   by   the  temporary  depletion  of  our 

office  force. 


84 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


A  longer  hut  really  more  economical  reply  to  the 
complaint  on  page  84,  with  evident  plan,  purpose, 
and  point  of  view. 


We  wouldn't  have  had  all  this  happen  for  the  world. 
You  are  and  have  been  too  good  a  customer  of  ours 
to  be  made  the  victim  of  any  service  shortage  by 
our  institution.  Forgive  us,  forget  the  seeming 
discourtesies,  and  read  the   following   explanation  : 

Our  office  force  has  been  completely  demoralized 
for  the  past  two  weeks  owing  to  the  strike.  To  add 
to  this  trouble,  came  three  holidays  close  together. 
Then,  it  was  necessary  for  Mr.  Tompkins  and  Mr. 
Lee  to  be  in  Chicago  for  five  days  last  week  on  a 
hurry-up  call  from  our  office  there. 

As  to  the  property  :  We  tried  to  get  you  a  large  piece, 
several  acres  in  fact,  but  nothing  could  persuade  the 
Graef  Realty  Company  to  sell  more  than  the  few 
parcels  mentioned  in  our  former  letter  to  you.  We 
are  still  working,  however,  with  the  hope  that  we 
may  be  able  to  get  what  you  want. 

As  to  the  telephone  call  :  There  is  not  a  soul  in  the 
place  who  can  recall  it,  and  there  is  no  record.  We 
do  not  understand  it  at  all,  but  we're  still  inves- 
tigating. Please  let  us  know  what  transaction  we 
promised  to  make,  and  it  shall  be  made.  You  are 
well  enough  acquainted  with  us  by  this  time,  surely, 
to  know  that  we  always  keep  our  word. 

As  to  the  delay  in  answering  your  letter  :  Our  fault 
entirely  !  We  have  no  excuses  to  offer,  other  than 
those  given  in  the  second  paragraph  above.  It 
certainly  would  never  have  happened  had  we  been 
running  under  normal  conditions,  and  we  think  we 
can  assure  you  that  it  never  will  happen  again. 

You  would  be  perfectly  justified  in  refusing  to  have 
any  further  dealings  with  us.  We  realize  this  with 
much  embarrassment.  But  we  are  going  to  urge 
you  to  give  us  another  chance  to  serve  you,  when  we 
shall  leave  no  stone  unturned  to  make  good,  in  part 
at  least,  the  shortcomings  with  which  we  have 
recently  annoyed  and  distressed  you. 


85 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Elucidate 

Eliminate  in  order  to  get  everything  out  of  the  picture  that  does 
not  belong  in  it.  Economize  in  order  to  get  everything  that  belongs 
in  the  picture  into  as  compact  and  individual  a  setting  as  possible, 
consistently  with  completeness.  Elucidate  in  order  to  bring  out 
in  the  clearest  lights  everything  that  is  in  the  picture,  both  as  a  unit 
and  in  relation.  Eliminate  and  economize,  therefore,  in  order  the 
better  to  elucidate.  Condense  the  materials  of  business  expression 
in  content  and  form  in  order  the  more  intensely  to  concentrate. 

Elucidate  is  from  two  Latin  words,  e,  out,  and  luceo,  shine.  The 
derived  meaning  of  the  word  is  therefore  to  shine  out.  And  the 
word  that  you  are  asked  on  page  51  to  consider  with  elucidate  is 
perspicacity.  This  was  a  very  fashionable  word  many  years  ago 
in  rhetorics  and  composition  books.  It  should  be  revived,  for  it, 
too,  has  a  pointed  meaning  in  its  derivation  from  the  Latin.  It 
comes  from  per,  thru,  and  spicio,  look.  Its  primary  meaning  is 
therefore  to  look  thru.  Taken  together  and  applied  to  our  subject, 
these  two  words  would  demand  that  business  expression  shine  out 
so  clearly  that  it  can  be  seen  thru,  and  this  without  the  use  of  the 
X-rays  1 

Correct  English  is  usually  clear,  but  not  always.  Awkward  and 
involved  constructions  may  be  correct,  but  they  are  not  clear. 
They  cause  a  blur  in  the  composition,  or  a  hesitation  on  the  part 
of  the  reader,  and  hold  up  progress  in  the  reader's  grasp  of  meaning. 
Needless  to  say,  such  constructions  have  no  place  in  business 
English,  for  it  demands  constructions  that  are  stripped  for  utility. 
Long  and  involved  sentences  may  be  tolerated  in  expression 
calculated  for  reflection,  and  for  leisurely  reading  and  consideration. 
Ruskin  sentences  are  good  for  Ruskin  habit  of  thought  and  style 
of  expression.  The  sentence  "  He  is  a  man  than  whom  no  one  is 
better  qualified  to  assist  you,"  is  correct,  but  it  is  not  a  good,  lucid 
business  sentence  because  of  the  than  whom  construction.  And 
this  sentence,  "  When  last  I  visited  your  offices,  Mr.  Ogden,  your 
then  president  explained  what  was  to  me  a  new  departure  in  your 
now  highly  reputable  system,"  while  it  indicates  a  praise- worthy 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  writer  to  say  much  in  little,  nevertheless 
fails  of  immediate  clarity  because  of  the  conscious  strain  to  be 
correct.  The  placement  of  then  and  to  me  retards  rapid  grasp. 
There  may  be  such  a  thing  as  over-correctness. 


86 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Attention  was  called  on  page  72  to  the  accurate  placement  of 
modifiers  in  a  sentence  in  order  to  economize  the  time  of  the  reader. 
It  is  equally  important  for  the  sake  of  clearness  that  word,  phrase, 
and  clause  modifiers  be  placed  exactly  where  they  belong, -and  that 
the  relation  of  parts  be  kept  unmistakable.  Each  individual 
member  of  a  sentence,  as  well  as  the  complete  sentence  itself,  may 
be  correct,  but  the  total  meaning  conveyed  may  be  far  from  clear. 

A  sentence  may  be  understood  in  two  different  ways  ;  it  may  be 
understood  only  in  part ;  it  may  not  be  understood  at  all.  In  the 
first  case,  it  is  said  to  be  ambiguous  ;  in  the  second,  vague  ;  in  the 
third,  obscure.  In  all  three  cases  it  may  be  correct  as  far  as  mere 
grammar  is  concerned.  In  the  sentence  John  told  his  father  that 
he  had  deposited  his  money  in  the  savings  bank,  the  meaning  is 
ambiguous  ;  that  is,  owing  to  the  indefinite  reference  of  a  pronoun, 
we  do  not  know  whether  John's  money  was  deposited,  or  John's 
father's  money.  To  secure  clearness  to  this  sentence,  and  at  the 
same  time  avoid  awkward  repetition  of  proper  names,  we  shall 
elucidate  by  means  of  direct  discourse :  John  said  to  his  father, 
"  I  have  deposited  my  (your)  money  in  the  savings  bank." 

The  meaning  of  this  sentence  is  vague  :  We  shall  pay  interest  on 
the  first  of  every  third  month.  We  must  know  when  the  payment  of 
interest  is  begun  before  we  can  tell  which  months  are  the  third 
months.  To  elucidate  this  sentence  we  must  add  something : 
We  shall  pay  interest  on  the  first  of  every  third  month  from  the  date 
of  deposit. 

The  meaning  of  the  sentence  on  page  88  is  obscure  ;  it  is  almost 
completely  lost  in  the  jungle  of  jargon  that  beclouds  it. 

Ambiguity,  vagueness,  and  obscurity,  as  violations  of  clearness 
in  sentences,  may  be  paired  respectively  with  tautology,  redundancy, 
and  verbosity,  as  violations  of  economy  in  diction. 

Be  a  purist  in  your  attitude  toward  business  English,  but  do  not 
be  a  prude.  Aim  always  to  speak  correctly  and  clearly.  If  you 
permit  yourself  to  be  finical  about  the  niceties  of  constructions, 
you  may  have  a  very  bad  time  of  it  indeed  ;  you  may  miss  many  a 
masterful  message  if  you  stop  to  juggle  with  the  words.  Be  certain 
of  the  uses  of  shall  and  will.  Avoid  the  split  infinitive.  Do  not 
say  "  He  don't."  But  do  not  scorn  and  condemn  the  writer  or 
speaker  who  violates  these  and  other  usages  and  constructions. 
Many  a  golden  message  has  been  written  on  the  sands.     Many  an 

87 

r 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Obscurity  out-obscured. 


In  reply  to  your  esteemed  favor  of  the 
25  inst.  relative  to  parcels  post  charges 
on  pick-up  orders,  beg  to  state,  we 
shall  temporarily  until  we  can  deter- 
mine just  what  readjustments  of  your 
stock  is  necessary  to  take  care  of  your 
requirements  unless  we  are  compelled 
before  on  account  of  the  expense  to 
discontinue,  arrange  to  stand  all  such 
parcels  post  expense  on  shipments 
made  direct  to  your  shop. 


To  elucidate  the  above  sentence  {?),  we  must  rewrite  it,  arriving 
at  the  intended  meaning  as  best  we  can. 


Re  your  letter  of  June  25,  1930  : 

We  shall  arrange  to  stand  all  such 
parcel  post  expense  on  shipments  made 
direct  to  your  shop,  until  we  can  deter- 
mine upon  the  necessary  readjustment 
of  your  stock. 

The  increased  expense  involved  may, 
however,  force  us  to  discontinue  this 
service  on  pick-up  orders. 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

actor  has  done  his  finest  work  out  of  costume  and  setting.  Judge 
a  man  by  his  message.  He  may  "  get  across  "  in  spite  of  dangling 
participles  and  split  infinitives  and  double  negatives.  He  may 
fail  in  spite  of  perfect  grammar  and  lofty  rhetoric.  There  was 
once  an  expert  in  color  dyes  who  became  so  near-sighted  that  he 
could  not  see  the  rainbow  ! 

The  form  and  general  appearance  of  your  writing  may  do  much 
to  clarify  it.  First  impressions  are  not  only  lasting  ;  they  are  also 
elucidating.  Form,  arrajigement,  spacing,  and  placement  in  busi- 
ness letters  mean  much  more  than  they  are  usually  given  credit  for. 
Space  should  be  used  generously,  for  space  is  to  writing  very  much 
what  pause  is  to  oratory.  It  makes  for  clearness  as  well  as  for 
emphasis.  It  suggests  repose  and  reflection.  It  should  bear  the 
same  relation  to  the  letter  as  frame  and  mat  bear  to  the  picture. 
Frequent  paragraphing  breaks  the  letter  page  up  invitingly  thru 
space  display,  and  thus  makes  it  less  stem  and  forbidding  than  it 
would  be  written  in  solid-set,  straightaway  composition. 

In  business  letter  writing  there  are  three  general  methods  of 
indicating  paragraphing,  and  space  is  a  feature  of  all  three.  The 
first  line  of  the  paragraph  may  be  inserted  further  to  the  right 
than  the  other  lines  ;  it  may  be  extended  further  to  the  left ;  it 
may  stand  flush  with  the  other  lines,  and  the  paragraphs  thus 
be  marked  off  by  spacing  only.  The  last  style  has  become — is 
becoming — the  standard  for  business  letters.  Indention  or  exten- 
sion of  the  first  line  makes  spacing  between  paragraphs  really 
unnecessary,  for  one  paragraph  signal  is  sufficient.  But  since  space 
is  an  asset  in  picturing  the  letter,  it  is  usually  retained  between 
paragraphs  with  both  the  indented  and  the  extended  style. 

In  business  English,  paragraphs  are  in  general  shorter  than  in 
novels  and  essays.  This  is  because  business  English  is  constructed 
for  quicker,  more  immediate  grasp.  The  paragraph  partitions  on 
paper  should  correspond  to  the  divisions  in  the  thinking  process. 
If,  therefore,  a  letter  or  other  business  composition  is  well  thought 
out  before  it  is  written,  the  paragraphing  will  be  accurately  forecast 
in  the  general  plan.  A  letter  of  considerable  length  may  be  planned 
by  composing  a  series  of  topic  sentences,  each  indicating  briefly 
the  subject  and  purpose  of  a  paragraph.  Or  the  plan  may  consist 
of  a  series  of  summary  sentences,  each  indicating  the  subject  and 
conclusion  of  a  paragraph.     Perhaps  both  plans  may  be  used,  tho 

89 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


this  would  probably  call  for  too  much  elaboration.  The  topic 
sentence  and  the  summary  sentence  should  be  brief  and  immediate. 
The  one  should  suggest  continuance  ;  the  other,  conclusion.  Very 
often  in  business  writing  each  of  a  number  of  topic  or  summary 
sentences  is  permitted  to  stand  alone  as  single  sentence-paragraphs. 

It  may  be  appropriate  to  use  short,  pointed,  staccato  sentences 
and  paragraphs  in  a  letter  in  which  it  is  the  aim  to  move  the  reader 
to  action.  It  may  likewise  be  appropriate  to  use  long,  full,  legato 
sentences  and  paragraphs  in  a  letter  in  which  it  is  the  aim  to  calm 
and  pacify.  The  sales  letter  may,  perhaps,  spur  to  immediacy  of 
action  by  its  nervous  and  dynamic  constructions.  The  adjust- 
ment letter  may,  perhaps,  appease  and  reconcile  in  part  by  its  slow, 
steady,  regular,  and  smoothly-moving  constructions. 

Rarely  does  business  English  stop  to  ponder  a  fastidious  com- 
pliance with  those  formal  and  conventional  methods  of  paragraph- 
ing that  characterize  other  types  of  prose  writing.  But  every 
business  writer  should  be  acquainted  with  the  four  principal 
processes  of  paragraph  development — the  narrative,  the  descriptive, 
the  expository,  the  argumentative — that  correspond  to  the  four 
different  kinds  of  discourse.  Combined  with  any  one  of  these  four 
classifications,  there  may,  of  course,  be  other  characteristics  of 
discussion.  A  paragraph  may,  for  instance,  be  inductive  or  deduc- 
tive in  its  development ;  it  may  follow  a  strictly  chronological 
order  ;  it  may  have  facts  arranged  in  climactic  sequence  ;  it  may 
have  a  balance  or  parallel  or  contrast  of  ideas  thruout.  The 
excerpts  on  pages  91  and  92  from  business  letters  illustrate  the  four 
classes  above  named.  Topic  and  summary  sentences  should  be 
noted,  as  should  also  the  marginal  notes. 

It  is  by  no  means  to  be  assumed  from  the  marginal  notes  accom- 
panying these  illustrations  that  the  particular  order  indicated 
belongs  only  to  the  class  of  paragraph  against  which  it  is  placed, 
and  to  no  other.  Nor  is  it  to  be  concluded  that  these  four  kinds 
of  composition  stand  apart  in  business  writing,  each  by  its  own 
hard-and-fast  characteristics.  Two  or  more  of  them  are  almost 
invariably  to  be  found  in  the  same  business  letter,  just  as  the 
different  kinds  of  order  or  arrangement  here  indicated  are 
interrelated  and  intermingled.  If  this  were  not  so,  variety  and 
adaptation  in  appeal  would  be  sadly  limited. 

The  essential  thing  in  all  paragraphing  is  that  it  have  a  reason 


90 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Narrative  Development. 


I  had  the  time  of  my  life  the  other  night. 
I  had  been  placing  in  the  window  a  few 
new  French  Browns  that  had  just  been 
received  from  the  factory.  When  I 
stepped  out  to  take  a  peep  at  the 
appearance  of  the  display,  I  was  obliged 
to  force  my  way  thru  the  crowd  that  had 
already  gathered  to  look  over  them. 
The  favorable  comment  that  came  to 
my  ears  from  all  sides  was  music  to  my 
soul.  My  heart  leaped  with  joy — JOY 
— capitalized  ! 


Chrono- 
logical 
and 

Climactic 
Order 


Descriptive  Development. 


We  have  examined  the  paper  as  to  feel, 
sound,  smell,  and  appearance.  It  has 
a  good  crisp  feel  about  it.  When 
crumpled  close  to  the  ear,  it  gives  a 
brittle,  resonant  sound  that  bespeaks 
fine,  hard  quality.  It  smells  fresh  and 
clean,  and  has  the  appearance  of 
strength  and  durability.  Tipping  the 
tongue  to  it,  we  find  that  it  resists 
moisture  almost  immediately.  It  is 
evidently  a  rag-content,  loft-dried  bond, 
and  it  strikes  us  as  being  the  very  stock 
we  have  been  looking  for. 


91 


Deductive 
Order 


r 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Expository  Development. 


Anticipate  inquiries.  Provide  for 
them  in  advance.  If  possible,  answer 
all  of  them  by  means  of  individual 
letters.  If  you  cannot  do  this,  see  to 
it  that  your  reply  forms  are  kept  fresh 
and  up  to  date,  and  convey  as  little 
of  the  routine  and  mechanical  as  possible. 
Above  all,  keep  your  temper  sweet,  no 
matter  how  many  times  or  in  how  many 
ways  you  are  asked  to  give  the  same 
information.  These  are  the  fundamentals 
of  a  good  question-and-answer  service. 


Inductive 
Order 


Argumentative  Development. 


You  want  a  service  that  does  not 
obtrude  or  protrude  or  intrude.  At  the 
same  time,  you  want  a  service  that  does 
not  annoy  you  with  red  tape.  But  you 
want  a  service  that  has  the  authority  of 
reputation  and  testimonial  behind  it. 
You  want  a  service  that  neither  revolu- 
tionizes nor  antagonizes  the  present 
arrangements  in  your  office.  On  the 
other  hand,  you  want  a  service  that  fits 
in  nicely  with  your  present  equipment — 
so  nicely,  indeed,  that  you  are  uncon- 
scious of  its  introduction  except  on  those 
occasions  when  results  are  tallied.  Well, 
such  service  as  this  you  will  find  us 
qualified  to  furnish. 


Balanced 

and 

Contrasted 

Order 


92 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


for  being,  in  following  out  the  thought.  The  reader  should  never 
be  shocked  by  incoherent  and  unnatural  breaks  in  the  thought 
development.  Here,  the  thought  may  require  one  sort  of  pro- 
cedure ;  there  another.  Between  the  two,  a  brief  transitional 
paragraph  may  be  required  for  the  sake  of  smoothness  and  coordina- 
tion. One  paragraph  may  suggest  a  subject,  and  the  following 
paragraphs  may  amplify  that  subject.  An  introductory  paragraph 
may  be  required  in  this  letter ;  a  summary  paragraph  in  that ; 
both  introductory  and  summary  paragraphs  may  be  required  in 
still  another.  The  long  letter  at  the  end  of  this 'section  (page  108) 
illustrates  this  varied  paragraph  relationship. 

It  is  but  natural  that  the  sentences  and  paragraphs  in  and  near 
the  middle  of  any  kind  of  composition  should  almost  unconsciously 
tend  to  become  longer  and  involved  than  those  at  the  beginning  or 
at  the  end.  And  it  is  desirable  that  the  construction  should  thus 
reflect  the  thinking  processes.  Speakers  and  writers — that  is  to 
say,  thinkers — quite  naturally  begin  a  discussion,  as  they  conclude 
it,  with  brief  and  condensed  expression.  As  they  warm  to  their 
subject,  their  thinking  takes  on  more  and  more  complex  aspects, 
and  their  forms  of  expression  are  accordingly  lengthened  and, 
perhaps,  complicated.  Do  not  open  your  letter  with  a  long  sentence 
or  a  long  paragraph.  One  house  issues  this  rule  to  all  dictators  : 
Begin  short  and  end  long.  Another  issues  this  :  Begin  short  and 
end  short,  but  make  the  middle  solid-set.  These  diagrams  illustrate 
the  two  policies : 


Many  firms,  having  to  do  with  situations  that  call  for  very  much 
the  same  sort  of  correspondence,  construct  what  are  known  as 
form  paragraphs,  in  order  to  save  time,  effort,  and  expense.  These 
form  paragraphs  are  kept  in  a  correspondence  manual  that  is 
carefully   indexed   to   meet   certain   regular   demands.     Each   is 

93 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


numbered  or  lettered,  and  each  has  the  proper  blank  space  or 
spaces  left  in  it  for  linking  it  up  with  an  individual  situation.  The 
dictator,  instead  of  dictating  an  entire  letter,  is  thus  enabled  to 
refer  the  stenographer  to  a  key,  and  dictates  only  the  material  for 
the  blank  spaces. 

Let  us  suppose  that  a  firm,  accustomed  to  acknowledging  many 
orders  everyday,  has  been  confronted  with  a  regular  shortage  of 
stock  for  the  past  six  months,  owing  to  labor  conditions.  To  meet 
this  situation,  it  devises  an  acknowledgment  form  somewhat  as 
follows :  "^ 


Ida 


2da 


3da 


Thank  you  for  your  order  of. 

with  check  for. „ enclosed. 

We   are   extremely   sorry   to   inform   you   that  our 

supply   oi has   been    held    up 

for  a  few  days.  Be  assured,  however,  that  we 
shall  be  able  to  forward  the  goods  to  you  by 
at  the  latest. 

Should  this  slight  but  unavoidable  delay  on  our  part 
cause  you  any  inconvenience,  please  make  use  of 
the  enclosed  envelope,  and  we  shall  take  your  order 

up    with    our. office    with    a 

view  to  doubling  pressure  in  your  particular  case. 


The  figures  refer  to  the  paragraphs  ;    the  letters,  to  the  special 
Delay  Acknowledgment  form.     In  replying  to  the  order,  the  dictator 

94 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


would  proceed  somewhat  as  follows  :  "Ida  May  10  $235.  2da 
Brogues  May  13.  3da  Fargo." 

There  is  probably  no  more  damning  word  applied  to  business 
correspondence  than  the  word  routine.  It  connotes  almost  all 
that  has  been  bad  in  business  letter  writing  up  to  date,  and  all  that 
the  present  renaissance  in  business  letter  writing  is  consigning  to 
the  scrap  heap.  Far  too  many  business  letter  writers  are  still 
beset  with  the  form  letter  psychology.  But  the  live  correspondence 
supervisor  knows  that,  far  from  being  the  dryasdust  and  mechanical 
things  they  have  been  for  so  long,  form  letters  can  be  made  live 
and  refreshing  communications.  They  offer  a  challenge  and  a 
stimulation  to  him  who  is  endowed  with  the  instincts  of  business. 
A  form-letter  committee  in  a  firm  that  conducts  a  large  number 
of  similar  mail  transactions  can  keep  the  forms  constantly  renewed 
and  refreshed  and  overhauled,  and  thus  deliver  them  from  the  form 
atmosphere.  It  has  been  the  custom  of  too  many  firms  to  treat 
the  form  manual  as  if  it  were  an  unchangeable  family  album, 
pure  but  petrified,  hallowed  but  hirsute.  A  manual  is  something 
"  used  by  the  hand."  The  form  manual  should  be  kept  constantly 
in  hand  and  used  constantly  by  it,  by  way  of  erasure  and  revision. 

The  proper  transition  from  one  clause  or  sentence  to  another 
within  a  paragraph,  as  well  as  from  one  paragraph  to  another 
within  a  composition,  should  be  clearly  and  coherently  made. 
Carefully  adjusted  transitions  and  connections  not  only  economize 
time  and  exertion  and  attention  for  the  reader,  but  they  likewise 
elucidate  content  by  means  of  subordination  and  coordination. 
Such  transitional  words  and  phrases  as  the  following,  accurately 
used,  will  do  much  to  elucidate  a  business  message ;  used 
inaccurately,  may  make  it  quite  unintelligible  : 

Addition  :  and,  also,  besides,  furthermore,  likewise,  moreover. 

Cause  :    as,  because,  for,  inasmuch,  since. 

Comparison  :    as,  than. 

Concession  :    altho,  in  spite  of,  nevertheless,  notwithstanding,  iho. 

Condition  :    but  that,  if,  provided. 

Contrast  :    but,  however,  nevertheless,  notwithstanding,  still,  yet. 

Correlation  :  and-therefore,  both-and,  either-or,  neither-nor,  not  only-but  also. 

Manner  :    as,  how. 

Place  :    there,  thither,  where,  whence,  whither. 

Reason  :    so  that,  in  order  that. 

Result  :I  consequently,  hence,  so,  so  that,  so  as,  such  that,  that,  therefore, 

thus. 
Time  :  after,  as,  before,  meanwhile,  just  as,  now,  since,  then,  till,  when,  while, 

95 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Every  word  you  use  should  be  in  "  close-up  "  focus,  if  you  would 
get  the  most  out  of  it  and  convey  the  most  thru  it.  As  thought 
settles  and  clarifies  itself  in  the  mind,  as  ideas  make  place  and 
sequence  for  themselves  on  the  verge  of  expression,  words  grow  to 
suit,  given  the  proper  encouragement.  The  proper  encouragement 
means  word  conscience.  Be  conscientious  about  your  use  of  and 
relation  to  words.  Regard  the  dictionary  as  a  member  of  your 
family,  but  treat  it  like  a  friend  !  Take  pride  in  correct  spelling 
and  definition  and  pronunciation.  These  are  three  mortgages  upon 
diction  that  must  be  lifted  before  you  have  rights  to  use  and  owner- 
ship. Above  all,  cultivate  the  joy  to  be  found  in  "  running  words 
down."  By  this  we  mean  tracing  words  backward  to  their  origins 
and  first  meanings,  and  forward  into  their  different  shades  and 
variations.  Practically  every  word  in  the  English  language  is  the 
title  of  a  little  story  all  its  own,  and  oftentimes  a  wonder  story,  too. 
It  is  interesting  to  know  that  don  is  an  abbreviation  of  do  (put)  on, 
and  that  doff  is  an  abbreviation  of  do  (take)  off ;  that  hurly-burly 
harks  back  for  centuries  to  the  time  when  two  families,  Hurleigh 
and  Burleigh  respectively,  set  a  whole  section  of  England  astir 
with  their  feuds ;  that  our  word  hurricane  is  probably  the  Indian 
word  hurrica,  meaning  devil ;  and  that  Hooke  and  Crooke  were  once 
two  rival  London  magistrates,  one  always  reversing  the  decision 
of  the  other  and  taking  deUght  in  doing  so.  Such  interesting  facts 
should  appetize  one  for  research  among  words,  and  by  such  research 
he  will  be  unconsciously  aided  in  their  mastery.  There  are  more 
than  thirty  specific  equivalents  for  the  generic  word  building. 
How  many  can  you  name  offhand  ?  Can  you  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment  differentiate  among  aroma,  fragrance,  odor,  scent,  or  among 
acid,  bitter,  pungent,  sour,  tart  ?  When  you  hear  that  a  man 
shuffled  into  the  office,  does  that  italicized  word  give  you  a  picture 
of  the  man  ?  When  you  are  told  that  the  fellows  are  swinging 
down  the  avenue,  does  that  italicized  word  give  you  any  inkling 
as  to  the  spirits  of  those  fellows  ?  Are  you  satisfied  with  the 
simple  word  say  when  it  suits  your  thought,  or  must  you  "  wax 
pedantic  "  and  use  state  (to  detail),  claim  (to  offset  doubt),  assert 
(to  speak  strongly),  maintain  (to  refute),  declare  (to  reveal  frankly), 
or  venture  (to  speak  with  uncertainty)  ?  Are  you  satisfied  with 
the  simple  word  ask,  when  it  suits  your  thought,  or  must  you  wax 
pedantic  and  use  beg  (intreat),  beseech  (implore),  demand  (claim), 


96 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


pray  (ask  formally  and  devoutly),  request  (desire),  solicit  (plead), 
or  crave  (long  for)  ? 

Make  it  a  rule  always  to  use  the  simplest  word  that  you  can  find 
to  express  your  thought  exactly.  Never  use  vulgarisms  or  barbarisms 
or  slang.  Avoid  the  use  of  foreign  words  and  phrases  in  general 
business  composition,  unless  you  accompany  them  with  translation 
or  interpretation.  The  same  caution  applies  to  language  that  is 
highly  technical.  Good  conversational  words  are  best  for  general 
business  expression,  but  your  choice  of  words  must  be  adjusted  to 
different  classes  of  people.  Language  that  is  too  colloquial  is  to  be 
avoided  in  addressing  business  letters  to  women  or  to  members  of 
the  professional  classes.  This  means  that  you  must  know  many 
kinds  and  classes  of  words.  If  repay  is  in  your  vocabulary,  reimburse 
must  be  also.  And  in  the  same  way,  get  must  imply  obtain  ;  gain, 
acquire ;  outlay,  expenditure ;  buy,  purchase ;  work,  employment, 
and  so  forth.  The  glossary  at  the  end  of  this  book,  limited  as  it 
must  be,  will  nevertheless  afford  excellent  drilling  ground  for  the 
beginner  of  work  in  words.  It  should  be  checked  up  with  your 
daily  adventures  in  the  language  of  business. 

Study  synonyms.  But  do  not  be  misled  in  your  study  of  them 
into  believing  that  two  or  more  words  mean  exactly  the  same 
thing.  The  dictionaries  used  to  define  synonym  as  "  one  of  two  or 
more  words  having  the  same  meaning."  Now  they  define  the 
word  as  follows  :  "  One  of  two  or  more  words  having  the  same  or 
nearly  the  same  meaning."  Later  you  may  expect  them  to  define 
it  somewhat  as  follows  :  "  One  of  two  or  more  words  that  are 
nearly  the  same  in  one  or  more  of  their  meanings."  No  two  words 
are  exactly  alike  in  meaning.  There  are  many  words  that  are 
similar  in  some  of  their  meanings.  It  is  dangerous  for  you  to 
believe  that  two  or  more  words  are  so  nearly  a^ike  in  meaning  that 
they  may  be  used  indifferently  one  for  the  other.  The  truth  is 
that  practically  every  word  in  our  language  has  a  meaning  (fre- 
quently more  than  one)  peculiar  to  itself.  Study  synonyms, 
therefore,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  definite  meaning  and 
character  of  a  word  that  is  "  accused  "  of  being  the  same  as  another. 
You  will  find  that  the  vast  majority  of  words  have  no  duplicates 
or  substitutes. 

While  the  chief  purpose  of  punctuation  is  to  clarify,  you  should 
aim  to  depend  upon  it  as  little  as  possible  even  for  this  purpose. 

97 

7— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Do  not  lean  upon  punctuation  for  help.  Proportionately  as  your 
sentence  constructions  are  accurate,  brief,  and  clear-cut,  will 
punctuation  be  minimized.  When  you  find  that  you  have  written 
a  sentence  requiring  the  use  of  more  than  two  commas  or  more  than 
one  semicolon,  you  will  do  well  to  try  to  re-phrase  it,  with  a  view 
to  reducing  punctuation.  The  semicolon  should  rarely  be  used  in 
business  letters.  The  comma,  under  rules  2,  4,  5,  6,  and  7  below, 
should  be  sparingly  used  in  business  letters  that  are  constructed 
in  accordance  with  the  instruction  given  in  this  section  and  the 
previous  ones. 

The  Comma    (  , ) 

1.  The  comma  is  used  to  indicate  omissions. 

2.  The  comma  is  used  to  set  off  relative  clauses  that  are  not 
restrictive. 

3.  The  comma  is  used  to  separate  words,  phrases,  and  clauses 
that  would  otherwise  run  together  and  convey  vague  or  absurd 
meanings. 

4.  The  comma  is  used  to  set  off  words  and  phrases  that  merely 
introduce  or  that  refer  to  the  meaning  of  a  whole  sentence  that 
follows. 

5.  The  comma  is  usually  used  to  separate  the  clauses  of  a  com- 
plex or  a  compound  sentence,  or  to  separate  dependent  from  inde- 
pendent clauses,  when  such  clauses  are  extremely  long  or  when 
they,  stand  in  sharp  contrast  or  opposition  in  meaning. 

6.  The  comma  is  usually  used  to  set  off  a  long  phrase  or  clause 
or  independent  construction  that  precedes  the  main  or  principal 
construction  in  a  sentence,  especially  when  this  preceding  part 
modifies  the  whole  subsequent  statement  rather  than  a  single  word. 

7.  The  comma  is  msed  to  set  off  thrown-in  words,  phrases,  and 
clauses.  This  means  that  appositive  or  explanatory  matter,  matter 
that  elaborates,  or  matter  that  is  independent  by  direct  address 
should,  as  a  rule,  be  separated  from  other  parts  of  a  sentence  by 
the  comma,  in  order  that  relationships  may  be  made  clear. 

8.  The  comma  is  used  to  clarify  the  reading  of  numerical  terms 
of  more  than  four  digits.  It  is  used  to  clarify  two  or  more  numbers 
of  different  signification  when  they  are  written  successively.  It  is 
used  to  clarify  two  or  more  place  or  personal  names  of  different 
signification  when  they  are  written  successively. 

98 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


The  ten  rules  for  the  use  of  the  comma  are  appHed  in  the  following 
letter.     Reference  is  made  by  marginal  numbers : 


7  6 


2 
10 
2 
4 
8 
8 


7  8 

7 


10 


4  3 

7 
7 


"  Father,  when  I  let  go  of  my  balloon,  why  does  it 
go  up  in"the  air  ?  "  ~ 

"  Why^"  you  answer  glibly,  "  it  rises  because  it  is 
lighter  than  air."  " 

"  But  why  is  it  lighter  than  air  ?  " 

"  1  don't  kno-sV^  but  ask  your  mother." 

Does  your  boy  ask  such  questions  ?  My  youngster, 
who  is  as  inquisitive^  insatiable,  and  impish  as  boys  oT 
seven  are  likely  to  be^  aske3"  exactly  twenty-four 
questions  in  five  minutes.  At  that  rate^  he  must 
have  asked  in  the  month  following  July  4^  1929^ 
127^395,913  questions  that  required  answers."  I  am 
ashamed  to  say  that  I  succeeded  ^n  evading  a  few. 

James  .Bruce,  of  GainesvillCj^  Kentucky^  one  of  the 
directors  of  "the  First  National  Bank,  "thinks  that 
his  small  daughter  holds  the  nationaPrecord.  ^  But 
in  the  face  of  her  battery  of  questions  he  is  always 
protected.  Day  or  night,  summer  or  winter,  he  has 
the  right  answer  ready.  "He  bought 

THE   LIBRARY   OF   WISDOM 

Ever  Since,  he  has  maintained  his  self  respect  when 
questions  were  hurled  at  him.  For  this  book,  altho 
it  is  humanly  fallible^  generally  saves  him"  from 
having  to  confess  to  an  embarrassing  ignorance. 

Let  the  book  help  you  as  it  helps  Friend  Bruce.  In 
it  you  will  find  comfort  ;  your  small  son,  satisfaction 
for  his  "  insatiable  curiosity."  The  price  will  be 
a  small  matter  compared  with  the  peace  of  mind  that 
the  book  will  give  you. 


99 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


9.  The  comma  is  used  to  set  off  direct  quotations.  If  a  continuous 
quotation  is  broken  by  the  insertion  of  such  expressions  as  he  said 
or  /  replied,  these  expressions  are  usually  both  preceded  and 
followed  by  the  comma.  In  some  cases,  however,  the  meaning  of 
the  quoted  matter  may  require  the  use  of  the  semicolon  in  one  or 
both  of  these  positions. 

10.  The  comma  is  used  to  mark  off  a  series  of  words,  phrases,  or 
clauses  when  they  are  similar  in  construction  and  are  not  connected 
by  conjunctions.  When  the  conjunction  is  used  between  the  la^t 
two  in  a  series,  a  comma  is  preferably  used  before  the  conjunction. 
When  words,  phrases,  or  clauses  in  a  series  occur  in  pairs,  and 
especially  in  contrasted  pairs,  the  comma  is  used  to  separate  one 
pair  from  another,  provided  there  is  no  conjunction  between  them. 
The  abbreviation  etc.  should  always  be  preceded  by  the  comma. 

The  Semicolon  (  ;  ) 

1.  The  semicolon  is  generally  used  to  precede  such  words  and 
phrases  as  namely,  thus,  that  is,  when  they  introduce  examples  or 
illustrations.  When,  however,  these  terms  occur  in  short  sentences, 
and  when  the  illustration  so  indicated  is  likewise  brief,  the  comma 
may  be  used  both  before  and  after  them. 

2.  The  semicolon  is  used  to  separate  the  clauses  in  a  compound 
or  a  complex  sentence,  provided  they  are  not  closely  or  immediately 
related,  and  provided  they  are  not  connected  by  conjunctions. 

3.  The  semicolon  is  used  to  separate  phrases  and  clauses  that 
in  themselves  require  the  use  of  the  comma.  So  used,  the  semi- 
colon helps  to  obviate  what  is  sometimes  called  the  "  comma 
sentence,"  the  sentence  in  which  commas  are  used  excessively. 

4.  The  semicolon  is  used  to  separate  the  members  of  a  series  of 
phrases  or  clauses  that  are  not  closely  connected  in  thought,  and 
that  all  depend  upon  some  word,  phrase,  or  clause  more  or  less 
remotely  placed. 

5.  The  semicolon  is  used  to  separate  words,  phrases,  and  clauses 
that  would  otherwise  run  together  and  convey  vague  and  absurd 
meanings. 

Parentheses    (  ) 

(1)  Parentheses  are  used  to  enclose  figures  or  letters  that  mark 
ofi  divisions  in  a  piece  of  writing,  and  to  enclose  dates,  letters, 

100 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


numbers,  signs,  and  the  like,  in  order  to  mark  them  off  clearly 
from  other  matter  to  which  they  are  not  constructively  related. 

(2)  Parentheses  are  used  to  enclose  explanatory  expressions  that 
have  little  or  no  grammatical  connection  with  the  rest  of  the 
sentence  in  which  they  occur. 

Brackets    [  ] 

[A]  Brackets  are  used  to  enclose  matter  that  is  more  remotely 
connected  with  a  sentence  than  that  enclosed  in  parentheses. 
They  are  frequently  used  to  mark  off  clearly  the  additions  or  correc- 
tions made  in  a  piece  of  writing  by  some  one  other  than  the  writer 
himself. 

Quotation  Marks     **     "         '     ' 

(a)  Double  quotation  marks  are  used  to  mark  off  clearly  the 
direct  words  of  another. 

{b)  Single  quotation  marks  are  used  to  mark  off  a  quotation 
within  a  quotation. 

(c)  Quotation  marks  are  sometimes  used  to  indicate  titles  or 
to  call  special  attention  to  words  or  word  groups.  When  a  series 
of  paragraphs  is  quoted  in  succession,  quotation  marks  should  be 
used  at  the  beginning  of  each  paragraph,  but  at  the  end  of  the  last 
one  only. 

When  the  direct  words  of  another  are  printed  in  a  different  type 
face  from  the  matter  in  which  they  occur,  quotation  marks  are 
not  necessary,  and  the  quoted  matter  need  not  be  preceded  by 
either  the  colon  or  the  comma. 

It  is  better  not  to  use  quotation  marks  for  purposes  of  emphasis. 
A  single  line  drawn  under  the  emphatic  word  or  words  is  a  better 
device  for  emphasis.  This  indicates  italicization.  If  any  liberties 
are  taken  with  matter  quoted  from  one  letter  in  another,  they 
should  be  fully  explained.  If  such  quotation  begins  from  some 
point  after  the  beginning,  or  ends  at  some  point  before  the 
ending,  the  curtailment  should  be  indicated  by  dots  enclosed 
within  the  quotations  : 

" placed  in  the  refrigerator  car  on  date  indicated " 

The  first  word  of  a  quotation  is  capitalized  only  if  it  is  the 
beginning  of  the  quotation  or  if  it  is  a  proper  noun  or  adjective. 

101 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


When  etc.  is  used  instead  of  dots  at  the  end  of  a  quotation,  it 
should  not  be  enclosed  within  the  quotation  marks. 

These  rules  for  the  semicolon,  parentheses,  brackets,  and  quotation 
marks  are  illustrated  in  the  following  letter.  Reference  is  made  by 
marginal  number  and  letter  : 


1 

(1) 

(2) 

{«) 
2[a) 

{b)[c) 

[A] 


This  will  confirm  my  telegram  of  May  7. 

Those  blankets  will  surely  reach  yoii  in  time  for  your 
sale  on  Saturday  ;   that  is,  by  May  14. 

When  your  letter  came  (May  6),  I  sent  for  Mr.  Allen, 
who  has  charge  of  sales  in  your  district  (a  most  reliable 
man  is  Allen)  and  asked  him  what  tlie  trouble  was. 

^  As  soon  as  we  received  the  order,  we  began  to 
prepare  the  shipment,^  he  saidj^  "  but  we  found  that 
our  stock  of  J_ No.  757  Cotton  BlanketsJ  was  shopworn. 
We  sent  an  emergency  order  to  the  makers  [we  have  an 
agreement  with  them]  and  asked  them  to  snip  directly 
to  the  customer,  liiey  know  the  meaning  of  the 
word  ^  rush_^.^ 

The  manufacturers,  you  know,  are  much  nearer  to 
your  city  than  we  are_[  they  pride  themselves,  as 
you  also  know,  on  promptly  fiUing  emergency  orders^ 
and  they  will,  we  are  sure,  get  your  blankets  to  you 
in  time  for  the  sale. 

I  am  sorry  that  this  delay  has  occurred.  We  are 
moving  from  two  small  warehouses  into  one  large, 
up-to-date  building.  When  we  are  settled  j^  when  we 
have  enlarged  our  staff,  as  we  are  planning  to  do_^  and 
when  our  contract  with  another  South  American 
importer  is  completed,  we  shall  be  in  a  position  to 
offer  you  service  that  will  satisfy  you.  Under  our 
present  unsettled  conditions  errors  have  been  unavoid- 
able at  times.    Thank  you  for  being  so  patient  with  us. 

I  like  your  suggestion  in  regard  to  the  bonus 
system  ;  I  shall  advocate  its  introduction  when  we 
are  settled.     Thank  you  for  mentioning  it. 


102 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


To  summarize  :  Sentences  that  are  loosely  constructed,  words 
that  are  inaccurately  used,  paragraphs  that  are  not  well-thought- 
out,  punctuation  that  is  slipshod — these  are  the  direct  violators 
of  clearness,  and  the  consequent  cause  of  extended  and  unnecessary 
correspondence.  A  "  letter  to  go  "  and  a  "  letter  to  come  "  should 
in  the  majority  of  cases  be  sufficient  to  dispose  of  one  issue  of 
correspondence.  But  unfortunately  the  letter  that  goes  in  the 
first  place  is  frequently  so  shadowed  in  obscurity,  that  a  multiple 
come-and-go  sequence  is  entailed.  It  is,  of  course,  incumbent 
upon  you  to  be  clear  in  your  business  letters,  and  this  for  many 
reasons,  but  for  none  more  than  for  the  saving  in  time  and  money 
you  may  enable  Uncle  Sam  to  make  in  running  his  postal  machinery. 
No  statistician  has  yet  figured  the  waste  in  national  funds  caused 
by  demented  diction,  senile  sentences,  and  paralytic  paragraphs 
that  annually  clog  our  mails  in  business  letters.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  if  it  were  calculable  in  cold  dollars  and  cents,  it  could  not  be 
written  short  of  seven  figures. 

Up  to  a  few  years  ago  it  was  not  at  all  uncommon  for  a  business 
office  to  evade  an  inquiry  in  order,  as  was  thought,  to  stimulate 
further  and  more  salable  inquiry.  This  was  not  only  evasive  and 
wasteful  and  annoying ;  it  frequently  proved  so  disgusting  to  busy 
people  that  they  justifiably  transferred  their  business  elsewhere. 
The  custom  has  passed,  fortunately,  or  is  passing.  The  following 
letters,  however,  are  disguised  examples  of  correspondence  not  yet 
a  year  old  : 


A  lucid  inquiry. 


Will  you  please  send  me  a  brief 
description  of  your  endowment  life 
insurance  policies  ? 

I  shall  be  pleased  if  you  will  let  me 
have  a  dummy  policy,  built  to  my 
own  case,  that  you  consider  one  of 
your  best  risks. 

I  am  twenty  seven,  unmarried,  sound 
and  all  right. 


103 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


And — a  reply  that  does  not  elucidate. 


In  reply  to  your  courtesy  of  February 
9,  permit  us  to  say  that  our  repre- 
sentative will  call  to  see  you  in  a  very 
few  days  to  go  over  the  matter  of 
which  you  wrote  us. 

In  the  meantime,  will  you  please 
read  the  enclosed  circular  ?  It  sets 
forth  some  unique  insurance  features, 
such  as  you  can  get  in  no  other 
company. 


Another  example  of  definite  inquiry,  with  stamp  enclosed 


Will  you  please  let 
me  know  the  price 
of  the  wicker  porch 
set  that  was  dis- 
played in  your 
window  last  week  ? 


And  the  cheap  brand  of  sales  evasiveness  that  came 
in  reply  (?)  to  it. 


We  welcome  your  interest  in  the 
wicker  porch  set  displayed  by  us 
last  week. 

In  reply  to  your  inquiry  we  would 
say  that  we  have  a  very  complete 
line  of  summer  house  furnishings 
of  every  kind. 

We  shall  be  glad  to  extend  to  you  the 
privilege  of  a  thoro  examination  of 
our  stock,  whenever  it  may  please 
your  convenience  to  look  in  upon  us. 
Thanking  you  for  your  interest, 
we  are 


104 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


The  following  letter,  on  the  other  hand,  illustrates  transparency 
in  expression,  as  the  result  of  definite  paragraphing,  clear-cut 
sentences,  and  ringing  diction.  The  letter  could  not  fail  to  be 
understood.  It  answers  the  inquiry  so  explicitly  that  this  particular 
'  bit  of  correspondence  is  concluded,  and  the  original  inquiry  can  be 
deduced  from  this  crystal-clear  reply : 

A  busy  man  takes  time  to  write  a  perfectly  paragraphed 
letter  to  young  men. 


The 
Subject 


Nay 


Yea 


Think 
it  over 


You  ask  me  to  send  you  a  word  for  your 
Young  Men's  Club  meeting.  Thank  you  for 
the  implied  compliment.  I  do  not  know 
what  word  of  mine  can  be  of  much  value 
to  you,  but  I  send  you  the  following  with 
hopes  : 

Don't  boast  about  yourself.  Don't  be 
constantly  shouting  to  the  world  that 
you're  important.  Don't  think  for  one 
moment  that  people  are  even  going  to 
believe  you're  here,  until  you  say  or  do 
something  that's  worth  making  them 
believe  that  you're  in  their  midst. 

Still,  don't  think  little  of  yourself.  Be 
polite  and  obliging  to  others,  without  being 
apologetic  or  fawning.  Never  interpret 
courtesy  on  the  part  of  others  toward  you 
as  weakness  or  "  easiness."  Be  proud  of  the 
man  who  bears  your  name,  carries  your 
body  around  with  him,  thinks  your 
thoughts,  and  does  your  acts.  Make  up 
your  mind  that  it's  in  you  to  say  and  to  do 
something  that  will  make  people  sit 
straight  and  observe. 

The  hen  cackles  and  stirs  up  a  great  fuss, 
but  we  think  her  merely  funny.  The  rooster 
crows  with  confidence  and  personality,  and 
he  gets  his  statue  erected  on  the  very  top 
of  the  barn. 


105 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  following  letter  was  written  by  Mr.  Wilmot  Lippincott  and 
is  reproduced  here  by  his  permission.  At  the  time  that  this  letter 
was  bringing  in  its  record-breaking  returns,  the  editor  of  Postage 
had  this  to  say  about  it,  among  other  laudatory  comment : 


It  is  a  magnificent  example  of  what  a  good  sales  letter 
ought  to  he.  It  says  all  there  is  to  say,  and  then  stops. 
There  is  no  Smart  Alec  opening ;  no  attempt  to  he 
funny  ;  no  haffling  diction.  It  is  just  a  human  letter 
written  hy  aflrstclass  husiness  man  to  other  business  men. 
It  rings  true  from  the  very  opening  word  to  the  very  closing 
word.  .  .  .  Could  anything  he  simpler  and  more  straight- 
forward than  the  opening  sentence  ?  And  each  of  the  last 
nine  paragraphs  opens  with  a  selling  argument. 


Direct 
and 

definite 
intro- 
duction 


Testi- 
mony 


Experi- 


It  is  our  understanding  that  you  operate  a 
number  of  printing  presses.  Under  these 
circumstances,  you  will  be  interested  in  the 
one  revolutionizing  movement  in  printing 
press  rollers  during  the  past  fifty  years  ;  that 
is,  Goodrich  "  One  Set  "  Automatic  Suction 
Rollers. 

The  largest  and  most  progressive  newspapers 
all  over  the  United  States  are  adopting  them, 
and  they  admit  that,  in  order  to  keep  their 
presses  operating  up  to  maximum  efficiency 
and  to  keep  operating  costs  at  a  minimum, 
they  must  equip  with  "  One-Set  "  Rollers. 

These  Rolls  last  longer  than  any  other 
Composition  Rolls  you  have  ever  used.  The 
first  ones  that  we  put  into  service  have  already 
been  operating  more  than  three  times  as  long 
as  the  ones  that  they  replaced.  And  we  have 
no  idea  how  much  longer  they  will  continue 
to  give  satisfactory  service,  as  they  are,  to  all 
appearances,  in  just  as  good  condition  as  they 
were  the  day  they  were  put  into  the  presses. 

{Contd.  onp   107 


106 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Contd.  from  p.  106] 

One-Set  Rollers  require  no  adjusting.  After 
they  have  been  in  service  three  or  four 
days  they  take  a  permanent  set,  and  their 
dimensions  do  not  change. 


Adjust- 
ment 


Melting 


Washing 


One  set 
only 


Cleanli- 
ness 


Economy 


Guaran- 
tee 


Terse  and  ^ 
confident  i 
conclu-  ^ 
sion 


One-Set  Rollers  cannot  melt  out  in  the  middle 
of  a  run.  You  very  well  know  the  inconveni- 
ence and  loss  of  such  an  accident,  especially  if 
the  roll  melts  out  in  the  top  deck. 

One-Set  Rollers  require  no  washing.  This  not 
only  saves  the  time  of  your  men,  but  it  elim- 
inates the  necessity  of  soiled  rags  and  kerosene 
about  your  pressroom.  Incidentally,  it  also 
cuts  down  your  fire  risk. 

One-Set  Rollers  eliminate  the  necessity  for 
installing  two  sets,  one  for  summer  and  one 
for  winter,  because  temperature  has  no  effect 
upon  them. 

They  give  you  a  clean  press  at  all  times,  and 
a  clean-looking  sheet. 

Not  only  because  of  their  long  life,  but  also 
because  of  the  saving  of  your  men's  time,  they 
re-act  to  effect  a  very  considerable  economy 
in  money.  You  cannot  make  any  mistake  in 
installing  Goodrich  "  One-Set "  Automatic 
Suction  Rolls. 

They  give  you  better  ink  distribution  than 
Composition  Rolls  and  in  addition  they  are 
absolutely  guaranteed  satisfactorily  to  earn 
their  cost  in  service. 

The  sooner  you  install  them,  the  sooner 
you  will  begin  to  take  advantage  of  the 
saving  that  they  will  effect  for  you. 


107 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  following  illustration  of  elucidated  and  elucidating  business 
expression  has  been  made  anonymous  on  the  request  of  the 
company  that  permitted  it  to  be  used.  It  is  a  somewhat  lengthy 
bit  of  inter-house  correspondence,  but  it  is  an  excellent  example 
of  many  of  the  principles  laid  down  in  this  section : 


The  San  Francisco  office  of  a  big  concern  refutes  the 
Boston  office  as  to  method  in  a  local,  direct-mail  campaign. 
Note  the  paragraphing.  Note  also  how  the  type  display 
and  the  quotations  elucidate  the  Boston  letter. 


Key  or 
topic 
para- 
graph 


Amplify- 
ing 
Para- 
graph 


Transi- 
tional 
Para- 
graph 


Amplify- 
ing 
Para- 
graph 


You  may  disagree  with  our  methods,  but,  if 
you  will  pardon  us,  we  think  you  ought  to  be 
happy  about  the  results  we  have  achieved  for 
the  company. 

Mind  you,  in  the  brief  period  of  six  months  we 
have  sold  $800,000.  worth  of  a  stock  that  was 
comparatively  unknown.  Also,  we  have  estab- 
lished that  stock  reputably  and  permanently 
in  the  market.  What's  more,  we  have  made 
ourselves  almost  automatically  the  regular 
supply  source  for  dealers  who  for  years  have 
been  handling  only  the  old  established  lines. 
Now,  of  course,  we're  very  proud  of  this  record, 
and  we  think  we  have  a  right  to  be.  Don't 
you  agree  with  us  ? 

You  criticize  our  direct -mail  methods.  Let's 
examine  them  a  little,  by  way  of  replying  to 
your  adverse  comment  : 

We  admit  that  our  letters  were  unusual  in 
tone  and  appearance.  But  they  were  not 
"  too  aggressive  and  radical."  Proof  ?  The 
high  percentage  of  returns,  and  the  hundreds 
of  complimentary  things  that  have  been  said 
about  those  very  letters.  (Yours  is  the  only 
unfavorable  view  we  have  had.)  We  did  not 
care  to  send  out  anything  like  the  old  con- 
servative materials  that  have  come  directly  to 
our  own  waste-baskets  for  so  many  years.  It 
was  our  aim  to  be  different  with  discretion. 
Right  ! 

[Contd.  on  p.  109 


108 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Conid.  from  p.  108] 

We  also  admit  that  we  never  insulted  a  single 
prospect  by  putting  a  one-cent  stamp  on  an 
envelope.  We  believe  in  neither  penny  pro- 
cedure nor  penny  propaganda.  We  have  our- 
selves suffered  from  this  penny  publicity  until 
we  could  wish  that  the  penny  were  a  unit  of 
calculation  only,  and  not  an  honest-to- 
goodness   medium   of   circulation. 


Amplify- 
ing 
Para- 
graph 


Amplify- 
ing 
Para- 
graph 


Sum- 
mary 
Para- 
graph 


Con- 
cluding 
Para- 
graph 

A  genial 
"  Get- 
away " 


And  we  admit  all  the  rest  of  it  :  The  high- 
toned  stationery,  the  two-color  inserts,  the 
"  wasteful  "  margining,  the  rapid-fire  follow- 
up  system,  etc.  All  of  these  were  expensive. 
Yes,  indeed.  They  were  so  expensive  that  we 
were  tempted  to  chloroform  the  Boss  when 
we  asked  him  for  the  appropriation.  But  we 
didn't,  because  our  plan  was  to  make  life 
more  worth  while  for  him  than  it  had  ever 
been  before,     and  we  did  just  that  ! 

Judge  us  by  results,  please,  and  by  results 
only,  if  you  like.  And  remember  that  the 
proof  of  the  pudding  is  not  alone  in  the  eating; 
it  is  likewise  and  quite  as  much  in  the  mettle 
of  the  appetite  when  the  culinary  specialty 
becomes  regular  diet.  Our  customers  are  not 
only  "  coming  again."  They  are  telling  their 
uncles  and  their  sisters  and  their  aunts  ! 
This  is  not  to  say  that  the  means  should  not 
be  considered  as  well  as  the  ends,  in  any 
situation.  But  we  are  naturally  unwilling  to 
have  the  means  condemned  just  because  they 
were  somewhat  out  of  the  ordinary.  And  we 
also  object  to  their  being  judged — or  mis- 
judged— except  in  connection  with  the  ends 
achieved. 

We're  really  indebted  to  you  for  your  honest 
and  comprehensive  criticism  of  our  campaign. 
It  has  certainly  been  a  stimulation  to  all  of  us, 
and  it  has  set  us  thinking  harder  than  ever. 
But  it  hasn't  convinced  us — yet.  And  some 
of  us  are  prophesying  that  you  will  come 
around  to  our  point  of  view  before  very  long. 
At  any  rate,  here's  a  big,  hearty  thank  you  I 


109 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Energize 

Eliminate,  economize,  elucidate,  in  order  to  energize.  If  you 
elucidate  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  out  the  picture  in  the  clearest 
lights,  then  you  energize  in  order  to  bring  it  out  in  the  strongest 
lights.  Economy  begets  point  ;  coherence,  progress  ;  emphasis, 
proportion.  Unity  means  getting  set ;  coherence,  go  ;  emphasis, 
coming  in  at  the  finish.  The  three  in  proper  relation  are  necessary 
to  the  telling  concentration  of  business  expression. 

Courtesy  is  atmosphere  rather  than  form  ;  radiate  it.  Character 
is  quality  rather  than  function  ;  communicate  it.  Both  are  basic 
to  strength  and  force  and  power  that  would  influence  without 
becoming  obvious,  and  achieve  without  becoming  aggressive. 
Courtesy  that  conveys  weakness  or  mere  compliance  with  con- 
vention soon  betrays  itself.  Character  that  implies  no  dynamic 
reserve  soon  finds  itself  ignored.  But  the  imprint  of  genuine 
courtesy  and  character  upon  a  business  letter  or  other  composition 
energizes  and  concentrates.  These  are  the  keys  to  irresistible  and 
indelible  impression. 

How  to  express  them  ?  There  is  much  in  inheritance  ;  there 
is  much  in  training  ;  there  is  much  in  experience.  And  there  is 
a  good  deal,  too,  in  closing  yourself  in  occasionally  just  for  the 
sake  of  pondering  the  human  species  and  his  traits.  It  is  easy 
enough  to  tell  you  to  be  individual,  to  be  distinguished,  to  evince 
personality,  to  build  power.  But  how  you  shall  really  become — 
this  must  be  decided  by  yourself  for  yourself  with  such  guidance 
as  you  may  find  helpful,  and  by  serious  thinking. 

At  least  you  may  be  sure  that  there  are  some  things  that 
practically  all  people  like.  They  like  you  to  be  likable  and  to 
make  your  letters  likable.  They  like  truth  and  frankness,  sincerity 
and  honesty.  They  like  earnestness  if  it  is  accompanied  with  a 
sense  of  humor.  They  like  modesty  and  sympathy  and  simplicity, 
provided  they  are  made  to  understand  that  these  qualities  are  not 
to  be  taken  advantage  of.  They  like  fairness  and  justice,  but  they 
insist  that  neither  manifest  ulterior  motive.  They  like,  too,  that 
element  in  the  human  make-up  that  we  are  pleased  to  call  strong 
individuality,  but  they  are  aware  that  it  is  a  by-product — the 
climax  of  culture — and  that  it  usually  exists  in  fullest  measure 
where  least  obtrusive. 

And  you  may  be  sure  that  there  are  some  things  that  practically 


110 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


all  people  dislike.  They  dislike  bluff,  and  can  usually  unmask  it. 
They  dislike  condescension  with  its  feigned  humility,  and  superiority 
with  its  holier-than-thou  preachment.  They  do  not  like  to  be 
antagonized  with  anger  or  sarcasm  or  brusqueness  or  smartness 
or  cleverness.  They  really  dislike  the  sensational  or  the  emotional, 
tho  they  may  often  seem  to  like  one  or  the  other  for  a  time. 
They  dislike  novel  or  advanced  ideas,  opinions  for  which  they  are 
not  yet  ready,  and  points  of  view  which  they  cannot  grasp.  On 
the  other  hand,  they  dislike  the  trite  and  the  negative  and  the 
commonplace.  You  may  not  talk  down  to  them.  Neither  may 
you  talk  above  them.  They  refuse  to  "be  the  first  by  whom  the 
new  is  tried,  or  yet  the  last  to  lay  the  old  aside."  They  dislike  to 
be  anything  but  average.  And  as  a  writer  and  speaker  of  business 
English,  you  will  all  the  time  find  yourself  in  the  paradoxical 
position  of  trying  to  teach  this  dictum : 

Be  not  afraid  to  be  the  first,  if  good, 

Yet  be  the  last  if  conscience  says  you  should. 

However  briefly  these  likes  and  dislikes  of  the  average  prospect 
may  here  be  summarized,  they  are  yet  sufficiently  elaborated  to 
serve  in  some  degree  as  guidance  for  energy  and  impressiveness 
in  business  letter  writing.  Get  your  prospect  into  your  heart  and 
understanding-  as  soon  as  possible,  in  order  that  you  may  get  him 
into  your  letter  as  soon  as  possible.  Humanize  details  of  technique 
in  relation  to  him,  and  you  will  find  personal  as  well  as  psychological 
reasons  for  avoiding  such  language  as  is  illustrated  below,  in  your 
business  expression. 

This,  for  instance,  is  too  pretentious  to  impress  any  one  :  Your 
communication  regarding  the  situation  will  he  given  immediate 
consideration. 

This  is  too  hackneyed  to  be  impressive  :  In  reply  to  your  letter 
beg  to  be  permitted  to  say. 

No  one  could  possibly  like  such  slang  as  this  :  Received  dope 
today  and  will  shoot  it  right  along  for  bang-up  decision. 

This  is  too  negative  and  disagreeable  in  diction  to  be  energetic  : 
Your  undated  letter  of  complaint  offends  us  because  it  does  us  an 
unjustice.  We  were  quite  within  our  rights  acting  as  we  did,  and, 
remember,  you  were  the  one  in  error. 

This  is  unemphatic  because  of  monotonous  and   ineuphonious 

m 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


diction  :   He  is  acknowledged  to  be  a  very  good  judge,  and  we  should 
judge  that  he  will  he  a  very  good  referee  to  adjudge  your  case. 

People  are  not  impressed  by  language  such  as  is  illustrated  in 
these  five  examples.  Diction  that  is  monotonous  and  negative 
and  slangy  and  stilted  and  pretentious,  lacks  energy,  and  does 
not  impress.  Some  one  has  said  that  the  business  writer  should 
change  his  language  at  least  as  often  as  he  changes  his  collar. 
Good,  provided  he  changes  his  collar  at  least  twice  a  day  !  The 
following  excerpt  from  a  letter  written  by  the  president  of  one  of 
the  largest  chemical  companies  in  the  country,  is  valuable  testimony 
in  this  connection : 

It  is  our  desire  in  writing  a  letter  to  use  simple,  clear,  and  correct  language, 
and  to  avoid  pep  and  pyrotechnic  in  diction.     Tho  we  are  often  tempted 
to  be  negative  or  trite  or  clever,  we  try  to  resist  the  temptation  always,  foj* 
the  first  is  unjust,  the  second  is  deadening,  and  the  third  is  very  often  offensive. 

But  people  are  impressed  by  language  that  is  energized  by  means 
of  concreteness  and  figure.  Note  how  much  more  effective  the 
second  of  the  following  paragraphs  is  than  the  first,  just  as  the 
result  of  focusing  the  formal  and  general  diction  and  making  it 
concrete : 


All  the  qualities  and  characteristics  of  life  demanded  by  those  who  set 
the  pace  and  create  the  style  of  today,  are  embodied  in  tRis  new  model. 

II 

Snap,  vim,  go,  exclusiveness,  individuality,  liveness,  pep,  alertness — all 
those  motifs  of  fine  living  demanded  by  milord  of  affairs  and  milady  of 
fashion  (as  they  set  the  pace  and  create  the  style)  are  embodied  in  the 
new  Haynes  Special  Speedster. 

Words  that  merely  denote  are  rarely  emphatic.  A  business 
letter  that  deals  with  generalization  cannot  leave  a  very  strong 
impression.  But  connotative  words  are  emphatic.  They  convey 
colorful  suggestions  and  pictures.  They  spur  the  fancy  and  charge 
the  imagination.  Boy  is  more  impressive  than  youth  ;  home  than 
house  ;  and  mother  than  woman.  In  the  same  way  Get-Rich-Quick 
Wallingford  is  connotative  for  the  merely  denotative  successful 
W ailing f or d  ;  twenty  million  a  year  is  suggestive  for  the  merely 
denotative  huge  income  ;  cozy,  homey  little  working  den  is  imagina- 
tive for  the  merely  denotative  comfortable  office.     It  is  only  by  thus 

112 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


"  boiling  words  down  "  that  a  writer  or  a  speaker  is  able  to  use 
them  to  their  utmost.  General  words  are  lazy  ;  they  never  do 
more  than  they  must.  Concrete  words  are  alert  and  staccato, 
and  never  tire  in  working  in  your  behalf,  if  you  but  have  the 
patience  and  industry  to  make  them  yours. 

The  man  who  first  used  cold  as  ice,  hard  as  a  stone,  clear  as  a  hell, 
made  use  of  language  that  was  impressive  because  it  was  pictorial. 
These  comparisons  have  now  become  commonplace,  and  have 
therefore  lost  their  effectiveness.  But  fresh,  natural,  appropriate 
figures  of  speech  vivify  language,  and  make  it  real  and  vigorous. 
This  dictum  of  Longinus  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  in 
consideration  of  figures  :  "A  figure  looks  best  when  it  escapes 
one's  notice  that  it  is  a  figure."  Note  the  emphasis  of  the  first 
sentence  in  each  of  the  pairs  below,  in  comparison  with  the  second  : 

1.  This  pencil  is  like  Velvet.     (Simile.) 

2.  This  pencil  is  soft  and  smooth. 

1.  Use  my  Velvet  Pencil.     (Metaphor.) 

2.  Use  my  soft,  smooth  pencil. 

1.  This  pencil  just  soothes  you  as  you  write  with  it.     (Personification,) 

2.  This  pencil  is  easy  and  comfortable  to  write  with. 

1.  The  world  writes  with  the  Velvet  Pencil.     (Synecdoche  ar^fi^  Metaphor.) 

2.  A  great  many  people  use  the  Velvet  Pencil. 

1.  This  composition  was  written  with  a  Velvet.     (Metonymy.) 

2.  This  composition  was  written  with  a  pencil  called  Velvet. 

1.  Give  me  a  Velvet,  or  give  me  death.  (Paraphrase,  Antithesis,  andMetonymy.) 

2.  I'll  use  a  Velvet  Pencil,  or  none  at  all. 

1.  Velvet,  you're  my  guide  and  comfort.     (Apostrophe.) 

2,  The  Velvet  Pencil  is  a  guide  and  a  comfort  to  me. 

1.  Velvet  vivifies  the  vellum.     (Alliteration.) 

2.  Velvet  enables  me  to  make  my  composition  live  and  vigorous. 

1.  He  advertises  Velvet  Pencils  with  all  his  might  and  main.     (Hendiadys.) 

2.  He  advertises  Velvet  Pencils  vigorously. 

1.  This  Velvet  Pencil  is  one  of  no  mean  quality.     (Litotes.) 

2.  This  Velvet  Pencil  is  one  of  good  quality. 

Simile,  metaphor,  and  personification  are  the  figures  that  are 
most  commonly  and  most  popularly  used  by  business  writers. 
But  all  the  figures  here  briefly  illustrated  may  be  found  in  abundance 
in  present-day  business  letters,  and  especially  in  sales  letters. 
Figurative  language  of  practically  every  kind  is  being  increasingly 
used  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing  the  business  message.  And  it 
is  being  used  so  succinctly  and  so  adroitly  in  the  cause  of  emphasis 

113 

8— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


or  clarification  (or  both),  that  young  hterary  aspirants  may 
sometimes  go  further  for  their  examples  and  fare  worse. 

Caution  must  be  exercised,  however,  in  the  selection  of 
comparisons  or  associations  for  figurative  expression. 

Do  not  combine  imaginative  language  with  the  unimaginative 
in  an  effort  to  be  figurative  in  your  expression  :  He  went  thru  fire 
and  all  his  wife's  money  to  accomplish  his  end. 

Do  not  mix  comparisons  in  order  to  make  your  expression 
pictorial :  He  steered  the  rudder  of  business  and  blazed  the  trail  for 
others  to  follow. 

Do  not  use  comparisons  that  shock,  or  that  call  for  unusual 
combinations  not  easily  imagined  :  This  toothpaste  will  make  your 
mouth  as  clean  as  a  vacuum. 

Do  not  use  comparisons  that  lessen  rather  than  heighten  the 
effect  intended  :  The  shelves  are  as  full  of  merchandise  as  an  apple 
is  of  meat. 

These,  and  other  similar  comparisons,  it  is  needless  to  say,  weaken 
expression  and  very  often  also  render  it  absurd.  Keep  your  diction 
precise  and  virile  and  concrete,  if  you  would  make  it  emphatic  ; 
and  keep  the  figurative  expressions  you  employ  fresh  and  natural 
and  appropriate,  if  you  would  make  them  clarify  and  re-enforce 
your  message. 

In  addition  to  virility  of  diction,  flexibility  of  construction  should 
be  aimed  at  in  the  effort  to  secure  directness  and  permanence  of 
impression.  If  the  attitude  of  the  businesss^letter  writer  be  adapta- 
tion of  subject  matter  to  the  reader  and  his  point  of  view,  then 
the  form  of  expression  in  the  business  letter  needs  be  facile  and 
flexible.  This  is  a  decree  that  defies  and  discourages  imitation, 
and  puts  a  limit  upon  the  results  of  pure  study,  but  it  also  puts  a 
premium  upon  initiative  and  individuality  in  the  pursuit  after  the 
elusive  word  and  phrase  and  tone.  However,  the  rules,  again, 
must  be  noted. 

The  periodic  sentence  makes  for  energy.  By  the  periodic  sentence 
is  meant  the  sentence  in  which  the  full  and  complete  meaning  is 
held  in  reserve  until  the  end,  or  nearly  the  end,  is  reached. 
Periodicity  in  sentences,  or  in  longer  units  of  construction,  means 
therefore  the  climactic  arrangement  of  idea  and  thought.  This, 
in  turn,  implies  suspense  ;  and  this,  again,  emphasis  and  power. 
The   opposite   of  periodic   construction   is   called  loose.     A   loose 


114 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


sentence  is  one  in  which  a  meaning — some  meaning — may  be 
gathered  at  one  or  more  points  before  the  end  is  reached.  Like 
the  periodic  construction,  loose  construction  may  be  appUed  to 
any  unit  of  expression  longer  than  the  sentence,  that  is,  to  the 
paragraph,  the  letter,  or  to  a  longer  composition.  Loose  construc- 
tions are  rarely  emphatic.  Used  continuously  they  give  the 
impression  of  scattered  annotations  or  jottings,  and  imply  a  lack 
of  plan  and  consecutiveness. 

This  is  a  periodic  sentence  : 

Having  closed  our  offices  before  your  telegram  arrived,  we  were  unable 
until  the  following  morning  to  take  the  desired  measures. 

Here  is  the  same  sentence  written  in  loose  construction  : 

We  had  closed  our  offices  when  your  telegram  arrived  |  and  we  could  not 
take  the  desired  measures  |  until  the  following  morning. 

This  latter  sentence  may  be  brought  to  a  close  at  either  of  the 
two  places  indicated  by  the  vertical  lines,  and  the  construction  will 
be  complete. 

The  balanced  sentence,  too,  makes  for  energy.  By  the  balanced 
sentence  is  meant  a  matching  of  construction  between  or  among 
parts.  One  word  balances  another  word  ;  one  phrase,  another 
phrase  ;  one  clause,  another  clause.  In  the  same  way,  the  sentences 
in  a  paragraph  and  the  paragraphs  in  a  composition  may  balance 
one  another.  When  the  balancing  of  parts  is  carried  out  to  con- 
siderable length,  the  construction  is  called  parallelism.  If  the 
meaning  of  one  member  of  a  balanced  construction  stands  in  direct 
contrast  or  opposition  to  that  of  another  member,  the  form  of 
expression  is  called  antithesis. 

Balance,  parallelism,  and  antithesis  have  been  much  overused  in 
business  expression  generally.  Each  one  is  valuable  on  occasion 
for  clinching  and  impressing  a  point.  But  used  excessively,  they 
weaken  rather  than  enforce  a  theme,  and  give  the  impression  that 
a  writer  has  stressed  form  overmuch.  It  is  in  connection  with 
constructions  such  as  these  that  alliteration  has  come  in  for  more 
than  its  share  of  abuse. 

This  is  a  balanced  sentence  : 

Train  up  a  clerk  in  the  way  he  should  go,  and  when  he  is  expert  he'll 
leave  you ! 

115 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


This  is  antithesis : 

Capital  represents  financial  character  ;   credit,  financial  reputation. 

This  is  paralleUsm  : 

Capitalization  is  based  upon  what  you  have.  Credit  is  based  upon  what 
people  think  you  have.  Capitalization  is  financial  power  in  reserve.  Credit 
is  financial  power  in  action.  Capitalization  establishes  faith.  Credit  applies 
faith.  Capitalization  is  foundation.  Credit  is  structure.  Capitalization  is 
to  a  financial  institution  what  character  is  to  you.  Credit  is  to  a  financial 
institution  what  reputation  is  to  you. 

All  of  these  sentence  constructions  should  be  varied  in  use. 
Their  chief  purpose  is  to  add  to  expression  a  tone  of  freshness  and 
variety  and  impressiveness.  Any  one  of  them  used  to  excess 
makes  writing  and  speaking  monotonous  and  artificial. 

The  interrogative  sentence,  the  imperative  sentence,  the  excla- 
matory sentence  are  likewise  all  emphatic  forms  of  expression. 
People  pay  attention  willy-nilly  to  questions  and  commands  and 
exclamations.  Sudden  turns  in  expression,  and  short,  sharp, 
declarative  sentences,  especially  at  the  opening  or  the  closing  of  a 
paragraph,  signal  the  attention  and  give  it  poise.  Certainty  and 
positiveness  of  tone  make  for  emphasis  and  vigor,  but  care  must 
be  exercised  to  keep  the  tone  courteous  and  polite.  The  man  who 
is  politely  dead-sure  commands  respectful  attention.  The  cour- 
teously unmistakable  letter  also  commands  respectful  attention, 
and  gets  results. 

The  first  word  or  words,  and  the  last  word  or  words  of  a  sentence 
occupy  the  most  emphatic  positions,  and  should  therefore  stand  for 
something  important  in  the  message  conveyed.  The  transitional 
words  listed  on  page  95  should  not  be  allowed  to  usurp  these 
positions,  but  should  be  placed  naturally  somewhere  between  the 
beginning  and  the  end.  Such  words  as  there,  it,  the,  therefore, 
however,  are  as  a  rule  weak  words  and  should  not  be  given  emphatic 
positions.  A  preposition  may  quite  properly  be  used  at  the  end 
of  a  sentence,  but  it  is  better  to  use  a  stronger  word  in  this  position, 
except  where  the  preposition  forms  a  natural  part  of  the  verb,  as  : 
laugh  at,  strive  for,  pass  thru,  refer  to.  First  position  and  last 
position  are  important  also  for  emphasis  in  the  longer  units  of 
composition,  the  paragraph  and  the  whole  letter.  This  is  additional 
reason  for  opening  and  closing  the  letter  with  definite  and  immediate 
statements.     Details  of  receipt  at  the  one  place  and  the  participial 

116 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


closing  at  the  other,  are  weak.  The  latter  construction  is  some- 
times called  the  leaning  construction,  because  it  depends  upon  an 
independent  unit  for  support  and  connection.  Observance  of 
such  structural  rules  as  these  will  do  much  toward  helping  the 
beginner  in  business  composition  to  energize  his  expression. 

Energy  may  further  be  secured  by  means  of  proportion,  that  is, 
by  giving  fuller  treatment  to  one  point  than  to  another.     The 
following  illustrates  : 
Emphasis  by  Proportion. 


Thank  you  for  your  estimate. 

It  is  satisfactory  to  us  in  every  detail  but  one, 
namely,  the  shipment  of  the  stone. 

If  the  Vermont  stone  referred  to  is  to  be  shipped 
direct  to  us,  it  could  be  done  more  cheaply,  we  think, 
by  truck  haulage  than  by  rail  and  canal. 

Truck  haulage  would  likewise  save  time  for  all  of  us. 
We  do  not  know  whether  you  have  looked  into  this, 
but,  if  you  haven't,  we  should  like  to  know  what  you 
think  of  making  the  change.  We  are  also  interested, 
of  course,  in  the  adjustments  that  this  would  require 
in  your  estimate.  It  would  work  to  your  advantage 
quite  as  much,  w^e  imagine,  as  to  our  own. 

We  shall  appreciate  your  courtesy  in  the  matter  very 
much  indeed.  The  estimate  is  enclosed  for  your 
convenience. 


Energy  may  be  secured  by  means  of  repetition.  There  is  good 
and  bad  repetition  in  business  composition.  We  do  not  mean  here 
the  excessive  use  of  alliteration  until  it  stultifies.     Nor  do  we  mean 

117 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


the  featuring  of  you  or  of  any  other  personal  pronoun,  until  the 
pronominal  tone  becomes  suspicious.  Both  of  these  devices  have 
been  greatly  overused  for  the  sake  of  emphasis.  And  we  do  not 
mean,  of  course,  that  repetition  of  diction  and  construction  that 
results  from  sheer  clumsiness  and  inadequacy  and  monotony  in 
the  handling  of  the  tools  of  expression.  We  mean,  rather,  the  kind 
of  repetition  that  drives  consciously  upon  one  point  for  the  evident 
purpose  of  impressing  it.  This  gives  a  very  emphatic  and  energetic 
quality  to  writing  and  speaking,  if  it  is  used  skilfully  and 
appropriately.  It  may  be  aided  by  balanced  construction  and 
epigrammatic  terms  of  expression.     Observe  this : 


Emphasis  by  Repetition. 


We've  written  you  patiently  ;  we've  written  you 
persistently.  We've  written  you  in  brief  ;  we've 
written  you  at  length.  We've  written  you  serially  ; 
we  are  now  writing  you  finally. 


We  must  have  that  little  bill  settled — somehow  or 
other,  we  must  have  it  settled.  Pardon  the  imperative 
but  we  encore — M-U-S-T  !  You  owe  it.  You  have 
the  money.  We  need  it — and  we  want  it  for  value 
received. 


Sorry  to  appear  insistent.  Sorry  you  are  so  delinquent. 
We  know  "  the  Lord  loveth  a  cheerful  giver."  Well, 
we  gave  you  credit.    We  did  not  give  you  the  goods. 


This  is  the  last  call.  Unless  you  make  use,  proper  and 
immediate  use,  of  the  enclosed  stamped  envelope,  you 
will  hear  from  our  attorneys,  Messrs.  Jay  and  Wilson, 
125  State  Street,  Chicago. 


118 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Energy  may  be  secured  by  means  of  suspended  and  climactic 
order.  This  means  that  the  content  of  a  business  letter  may  be 
so  built  as  to  carry  a  reader  along  until  the  theme  accumulates  in 
a  climax.  It  was  briefly  illustrated  on  page  118.  It  may  be  further 
illustrated  in  the  following  : 

Emphasis  by  Arrangement. 


To  be  exact,  we  mailed  767  letters  to  prospects,  mostly 
farmers,  offering  our  gasoline  cistern'equipment. 


Within  three  weeks  there  were  twenty-nine  replies, 
eight  inquiries  (still  promising) ,  and  five  sales.  All 
of  these  were  new  business,  and  the  five  sales  were 
closed  entirely  by  mail. 


The  cost  of  our  direct  mail  campaign  was  exactly 
$61.27.     The  net  profit  from  the  five  sales  was  $581. 


From  all  of  which  we  submit  :  Anything's  that 
salable  is  salable  by  mail,  with  good  profit  to  the 
seller  and  perfect  satisfaction  to  the  buyer. 


It  is  again  necessary  to  caution  that  none  of  these  structural 
devices  for  emphasis  should  be  used  to  excess.  If  they  are  so 
used,  the  ends  sought  will,  of  course,  be  defeated.  This  caution 
applies  also  to  the  use  of  the  mechanical  devices  for  emphasis,  such 

119 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


as  underlining,  capitalization,  color,  type  variation,  indention, 
tabulation,  marginal  headings,  unusual  paragraphing.  It  is  better 
to  adopt  only  one  or  two  devices  for  mechanical  emphasis  in  a 
single  piece  of  copy.  Quotation  marks  should  be  used  for  the 
purpose  for  which  they  are  intended,  namely,  for  marking  off 
direct  discourse,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of  emphasis.  In  printed 
matter,  type  variation  may  be  used  in  place  of  quotation  marks, 
to  indicate  titles  and  captions.  Quotation  marks,  used  too  fre- 
quently on  a  page,  cause  confusion  and  eye  struggle.  Much  direct 
quotation  in  business  composition  is  now  clearly  set  off  by  means 
of  the  preceding  colon  and  the  capitalization  of  the  first  letter  of 
the  quotation.  Change  of  type  face  is  also  used  to  obviate  quotation 
marks.  Like  the  semicolon,  they  should  be  used  sparingly  in 
business  expression. 


Capitalization 

Capitalization  is  much  abused  as  a  device  for  emphasis.  The 
better  usage  requires  here,  as  in  the  case  of  the  quotation  marks, 
that  capitals  be  used  only  in  compliance  with  the  requirements  of 
the  established  rules.  The  custom  of  capitalizing  the  names  of 
the  various  official  positions  or  departments  of  a  concern,  every 
time  they  are  mentioned  in  a  letter,  leads  to  confusion  and  adds 
little  if  anything  by  way  of  force  and  tone.  This  is  but  one  of 
the  many  present  day  abuses  of  capitalization  in  business  writing. 

Following  are  the  general  letter  writing  rules  for  capitalization  : 

1 .  Capitalize  the  first  word  of  every  sentence. 

2.  Capitalize  the  words  Whereas  and  Resolved  in  the  statement  of  resolutions. 

3.  Capitalize  north,  south,  east,  west  when  they  are  used  in  direct  reference 
to  specific  sections  of  the  country. 

4.  Capitalize  common  names,  such  as  street,  avenue,  square,  place,  county, 
when  used  in  connection  with  a  proper  noun. 

5.  Capitalize  /  and  O.  The  capitalization  of  oh  and  sir,  used  within  a 
sentence,  varies.     The  tendency  is  to  write  both  with  small  letters. 

6.  Capitalize  proper  names — the  names  of  persons,  places,  particular 
things  and  events — the  names  of  the  days  of  the  week  and  months  of  the 
year — the  names  of  religious  sects,  civil  and  political  and  military  organizations, 
holidays,  treaties,  ages,  and  the  like. 

7.  Capitalize  personal  and  official  titles  when  accompanied  by  names  of 
individuals.  In  this  country  usage  varies  in  the  capitalization  of  a  title 
when  used  without  the  name  of  an  individual,  but  the  tendency  is  to  capitalize 
the  titles  of  high  state  and  national  officers  when  used  without  individual 
names. 

120 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


There  are  many  moot  points  in  the  general  subject  of  capitaUza- 
tion  regarding  which  an  individual  house  may  well  establish  its 
own  rules  and  dogmatically  insist  upon  them,  at  least  until  such 
time  as  we  arrive  at  a  standardized  style.  Usage  varies  widely 
today,  for  instance,  in  the  capitalization  of  jr.  and  sr.  after  proper 
names.  There  now  seems  to  be  an  increasing  tendency  to  write 
these  abbreviations  with  the  small  letter.  Following  are  a  few 
negative  rulings  on  the  capital,  some  of  which  may  be  debatable  : 

1.  Do  not  capitalize  to  boycott,  to  fletcherize,  to  pasteurize,  to  germanize, 
to  anglicize,  to  americanize.  Used  as  nouns,  the  last  three  are  still  capitalized 
as  a  rule. 

2.  Do  not  capitalize  the  foreign  prefixes  le,  la,  de,  du,  di,  della  when  they 
are  preceded  by  a  Christian  name.  Capitalize  them  when  not  preceded  by 
a  Christian  name. 

3.  Do  not  capitalize  von  in  German  names,  unless  it  begins  a  sentence. 
But  van  in  Dutch  names  should  be  capitalized.  {Henry  van  Dyke  is  an 
exception.) 

4.  Do  not  capitalize  generic  terms  when  added  by  way  of  description  to 
specific  terms,  as  :  the  river  Elbe,  the  river  Nile,  the  island  of  Madagascar. 
But  always  capitalize  the  generic  term  when  it  is  a  part  of  the  geographical 
name,  as  :    Rocky  Mountains,  Death  Valley,  Dead  Sea. 

5.  Do  not  capitalize  the  official  title  of  a  person  when  the  title  follows  the 
name,  or  when,  followed  by  the  name,  it  is  preceded  by  the  article  the  : 
Woodrow  Wilson,  president  of  the  United  States.  .  .  .  He  was  the  professor  of 
Greek.  .  .  .     The  apostle  Paul  wrote  this. 

6.  Do  not  capitalize  the  first  word  after  a  colon  unless  it  introduces  a 
complete  passage  or  a  sentence  having  independent  meaning,  or  unless  the 
colon  is  used  in  the  sense  of  namely,  as  follows,  etc. 

7.  Do  not  capitalize  any  but  the  noun  parts  of  hyphenated  titles,  as  : 
Twentieth-Century  Progress,  the  Economy  of  High-Speed  Trains,  Fifty-first 
Street,  Well-known  Authors,  World-Union  of  English-bom  Patriots. 

8.  Do  not  capitalize  p.m.,  a.m.,  c.o.d.,  or  abbreviations  generally,  unless 
they  stand  for  proper  nouns  and  adjectives. 

9.  Do  not  capitalize  the  ex  in  ex-President,  or  the  prefixes  un,  pro,  anti, 
or  the  word  the  in  titles  of  newspapers,  magazines,  and  business  houses, 
unless  there  is  some  special  designation  to  be  made  by  so  doing. 

10.  Do  not  capitalize  such  words  as  street,  avenue,  library,  postoffice,  court- 
house, etc.,  except  in  connection  with  a  proper  name,  and  do  not  capitalize 
the  names  of  the  seasons,  spring,  summer,  autumn,  winter,  unless  they  are 
used  figuratively. 

The  question  mark,  the  exclamation  mark,  and  the  dash,  properly 
used,  save  time  for  a  reader  and  clarify  expression  for  a  writer. 
They  may  also  be  used  to  secure  emphasis.  Caution  should  be 
exercised,  however,  in  the  use  of  these  marks  for  pyrotechnic  display. 
They  may  weaken  or  make  freakish  if  used  to  excess.  Their 
principal  uses  for  all  purposes  are  given  on  the  pages  following  : 

121 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  Question  Mark    (  ? ) 

1.  The  question  mark  is  used  after  a  direct  question.  The 
imperative  form  of  question,  as, 

Please  let  us  have  that  statement 

is  not,  as  a  rule,  followed  by  the  question  mark.  The  question 
mark  is,  however,  frequently  used  as  an  indication  of  courtesy 
after  both  imperative  and  declarative  sentences  that  call  for  a 
response  : 

Please  let  us  have  that  statement  ? 

You  will  accompany  us,  I  trust  ?  , 

2.  The  question  mark  is  sometimes  used  to  indicate  doubt, 
indecision,  humor,  or  sarcasm.  When  so  used,  it  is  usually  placed 
in  parentheses  : 

I  am  told  by  Terry  (nickname  for  Therese  ?)  that  the  play  is  an  assured 
success. 

3.  When  a  series  of  short  questions  are  asked,  it  is  better  to 
follow  each  with  a  question  mark  : 

What  is  the  reply  from  Forbes  ?  from  Smith  ?  from  Ferguson  ?  from 
Ramsey  ? 

But  this  form  of  question  series  is  frequently  written  as  follows  : 
What  is  the  reply  from  Forbes,  from  Smith,  from  Ferguson,  from  Ramsey  ? 


The  Exclamation  Mark     (!) 

(1)  The  exclamation  mark  is  used  after  interjections,  and  after 
other  expressions  that  evince  strong  feeling.  It  is  not  a  mark  that 
is  much  used  in  business  expression.  But  occasionally,  especially 
in  inter-house  or  inter-departmental  communications,  it  is  called 
into  use  to  indicate  an  attitude,  such  as  humor  or  surprise. 

(2)  The  exclamation  mark  is  sometimes  used  in  parentheses 
within  a  sentence  to  express  feeling,  astonishment,  or  sarcasm  : 

Last  year  his  income  amounted  to  eighty  thousand  dollars  (Fancy  !),  and 
still  he  wasn't  satisfied. 

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THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

The  Dash    (—) 

A.  The  dash  is  used  to  indicate  a  sudden  change  or  turn  or 
interruption  in  thought. 

B.  The  dash  is  sometimes  used  alone  or  with  the  comma  or  the 
colon  to  precede  an  example,  an  illustration,  an  enumeration,  or 
a  long  quotation. 

C.  Dashes  are  sometimes  used  in  pairs  to  set  off  explanatory 
matter,  or  to  indicate  the  elaboration  of  an  idea  formerly  expressed. 

D.  The  dash  is  used  in  names,  phrases,  and  numbers  to  indicate 
respectively  the  omission  of  letters,  words,  or  figures  : 

H ry 

Rah, , ^— ! 

19 

There  is  too  great  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  business  writers  to 
use  the  dash  for  the  comma  or  the  period.  Caution  should  be 
exercised  in  this  respect.  The  dash  may  arrest  and  therefore 
emphasize,  but  used  loosely  and  incorrectly,  it  confuses  and  retards. 

The  rules  for  the  question  mark,  the  exclamation  mark,  and  the 
dash  are  applied  in  the  letter  on  the  next  page.  References  are 
made  by  marginal  number  and  letter.  Observe  that  this  letter 
links  up  with  the  punctuation  letter  reproduced  on  page  102. 

Mechanical  emphasis  bears  directly  upon  the  picturization  of 
the  letter.  The  letter  picture  can  do  much  to  clarify  ;  it  can 
likewise  do  much  to  energize.  "  Forms  are  the  food  of  faith," 
said  Cardinal  Newman.  Certainly  a  certain  amount  of  form 
demands  respect  and  establishes  confidence.  But  compliance  with 
form  must  not  be  permitted  to  become  merely  a  veneer  or  an 
imitation  or  an  automatic  process  or  an  indolent  following  of  con- 
ventions. When  form  is  allowed  to  mean  any  of  these,  it  kills. 
On  the  other  hand,  a  too  radical  departure  from  established  form 
must  be  avoided,  otherwise  freakishness  or  ostentation  or  self- 
consciousness  will  result,  and  superficial  attention  only  will  be 
induced.  To  follow  established  form  is  to  comply  with  fixed  taste 
and  standardized  custom,  and  thus  to  give  people  what  they 
expect.  To  depart  from  established  form  is  to  some  degree  to 
divide  attention  between  the  vehicle  of  expression  and  the  content ; 
it  must  be  done  with  caution,  if  done  at  all,  for  it  is  attended  with 
great  danger.     A  middle  ground  is  possible.     Study  to  comply 

123 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


with  form  in  your  own  individual  way,  and  you  will  be  able  to 
put  off  the  worthless  old  and  put  on  the  worthy  new  without 
shocking  tradition  on  the  one  side  or  evoking  a  revolution  on  the 


(1) 


1 

B 
(2) 


(2) 


No  doubt  there  is  some  good  reason  for  the  delay, 
but  I  could  use  those  "  No,  l^S  Cotton  Blankets  " 
soon—now,  in  fact. 

Expecting  to  receive  them  as  promptly  as  I  usually 
receive  my  merchandise  from  you,  I  went  ahead  and 
advertised  the  sale  for  Monday  of  this  week.  Monday 
came.     Customers  came.     Alas,  no  blankets  ! 

The  salespeople  \vere^^well^::rdisturbed,  to  put  it 
mildly.  They  wore  me  out  asking  where  the  goods  were. 

Do  you  ask  me,  "  Why  were  they  disturbed  "2  They 
work  on  the  bonus  system-^on  the  partners-all 
system_[ 

And  by  the  way,  let  me  recommend  that  system  for 
use  in  your  business.  It's  a  good  plan.  Could  any- 
thing put  into  work  more  personal  interest 2  more 
enthusiasm^    more  efficiency^? 

As  for  the  blankets,  I  ordered  them  on  December  15(2)- 
(Our  files  are  locked  for  the  night,  so  I  cannot  give 
you  the  exact  date.)  That  should  have  given  us  all 
ample  time  to  prepare  for  this  sale.  If  you  can  get 
them  here  before  the  last  of  the  week,  I  shall  appre- 
ciate your  doing  so.  We  have  another  (^  sale  of 
blankets  on  Saturday. 

Please  wire,  so  that  we  may  adjust  our  advertising2 
Better  use  our  downtown  address — 343  Water  Street 
— ^for  this. 


other.  You  may  tell  your  tailor  to  omit  the  buttons  from  your 
coat  sleeve,  but  you  had  better  wear  a  necktie  for  a  little  while 
longer. 

The  illustrative  letters  that  follow  bear  their  own  comment,  as 

124 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


well  as  some  additional  comment  by  the  author.  The  student 
should  measure  them  by  what  has  preceded  in  this  chapter,  especially 
by  the  scale  on  page  51,  and,  of  course,  by  his  own  judgments  and 
convictions  as  to  business  letter  writing. 

The  angry  person  is  usually  wrong,  or,  at  least,  so  a  great  many 
people  think.  Letter  A  below  illustrates  how  wrong  an  angry 
person  may  sometimes  be.  It  also  illustrates  an  entirely  wrong 
idea  as  to  how  energy  may  be  secured  to  a  letter  of  claim  : 

A. 

Anger  does  as  anger  is. 


What's  the  matter  with  you  people  ?  Can't  you  fill 
a  small  order,  such  as  ours  of  June  1,  and  get  the 
goods  to  us  when  we  want  them  ? 

If  you  can't,  say  so,  and  we'll  deal  with  people  that 
deliver. 

We  purchase,  we  pay,  arid  we  "  come  again," 
provided  we  get  what  we  want,  as  we  want  it,  when 
we  want  it.  where  we  want  it. 


If  you're  game  for  this  polic3^  why,  come  play  with 
us.  If  you're  not,  say  the  word,  and  we'll  chuck  you 
for  "  them  as  is." 


And,  anyway,  if  it's  not  asking  too  much  of  you, 

FILL  THAT  ORDER  OF  June  1 Yes  ?  ?  ? 

Then  maybe  we'll  say  "  Thank  you." 


There  is  nothing  more  contagious  than  anger,  tho  the  contagion 
may  take  various  forms,  sarcasm  and  irony  among  the  rest.  The 
reply  to  this  letter,  letter  B  below,  shows  one  way — a  wrong  way— 

125 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


of  meeting  the  angry  claimant.  He  will  certainly  not  feel  very 
much  pleasanter  on  receiving  such  an  adjustment  as  this,  which 
violates  the  principles  of  emphasis  principally  because  it  is  wrong 
in  attitude: 

B. 
And  anger  is  wrong  as  usual. 


Tut\l    Tut  ! 

Let  not  your  angry  passions  rise. 

Sorry  isn't  the  word  for  our  frame  of  mind.  We're 
prone  in  the  dust,  crushed  to  earth,  wrapped  in 
sackcloth,  and  all  the  rest  of  it. 

But  just  as  soon  as  you  get  a  minute,  read  with  your 
very  own  eyes  the  enclosed  copy  of  receipt  from 
your  house,  showing  that  goods  referred  to  in  your 
COURTESY  of  June  1  were  received  by  your  incoming 
department  on  June  5. 

So  again — Tut  !     Tut  ! — And  Fudge  !     Fudge  ! 

Doesn't  it  beat  all  how  we  sometimes  get  our  own 
wires  crossed ! 

However  .... 
Very  truly  yours, 


P.  S.    Now  mebbe  you'll  say  Thank  You — and  then 
again — mebbe  you  won't. 


Time  and  temper  and  the  mother  tongue  might  have  been  spared 
in  this  caustic  exchanges  of  civilities,  and  tone  and  energy  secured  to 
far  greater  advantage  on  both  sides,  had  the  letters  read  somewhat 
as  follows  : 

126 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

C. 
This  is  more  energetic  than  A  above. 


The  goods  that  I  ordered  of  you  on  June  1  have 
not  been  received,  and  I  am  being  caused  some 
inconvenience  as  a  result. 

It  seems  to  me  that  you  must  have  had  ample  time 
to  fill  the  order  and  get  the  shipment  to  me.  Will 
you  please  look  into  it  at  once,  and  save  me  not  only 
further  annoyance,  but  possibly  money  also  ?  I  shall 
be  greatly  obliged  to  you. 

If  you  have  forwarded  the  goods,  and  they  have 
perhaps  been  delayed  or  damaged  in  transit,  you  will 
save  the  situation  for  me  by  an  immediate  substitute 
shipment,  for  which  you  may  make  any  reasonable 
adjustment  in  my  account. 


D. 

Either  of  these  [D  or  E)  is  more  energetic  than  B  above. 


Thank  you  for  your  letter  of  June  10.  We  are  sorry 
that  you  have  been  caused  annoyance  and  incon- 
venience in  connection  with  your  order  of  June   1. 

We  have  gone  over  our  records  very  carefully,  and 
we  find  that  your  goods  were  sent  on  June  2  and 
received  by  your  incoming  department  on  June  5. 
We  enclose  copy  of  receipt  from  your  Mr.  Ferguson. 
So  the  whole  trouble  seems  to  be  due  to  one  of  those 
unaccountable  mistakes  that  insist  upon  happening 
from  time  to  time  to  the  best  of  us. 

Again,  let  us  say  that  we  regret  extremely  that  you 
have  been  disturbed  in  thfe  matter.  We  hope  that  you 
have  traced  the  goods  by  this  time. 

We  also  hope  that  our  agreeable  relations  with  you 
may  be  continued  as  pleasantly  in  the  future  as  they 
have  been  in  the  past. 


127 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


E. 


We  are  very  sorry  indeed  that  you  have  been  caused 
inconvenience  regarding  your  order  of  June  1. 

Thoro  examination  of  the  transaction  has  been  made 
at  this  end.  We  find  that  your  shipment  left  this 
office  on  June  2,  and  that  a  receipt  from  your  incoming 
department  was  filed  with  us  on  June  5.  This  indicates 
that  the  goods  have  been  received  by  some  one  at 
your  place  of  business.  The  initials  on  the  receipt 
are  RLT. 

May  it  be  that  the  delivery  has  not  been  brought  to 
your  attention,  or  that  the  goods  may  have  been 
misplaced  or  overlooked  in  the  rush  of  work  ? 

Please  wire  at  our  expense  if  you  have  not  located 
them  yet.  We  shall  then  see  that  a  substitute  order 
is  immediately  forwarded,  in  compliance  with  your 
direction. 

Again,  let  us  say  that  we  are  extremely  sorry.  Please 
make  any  demands  upon  us  to  have  this  situation 
immediately  set  aright,  and  they  shall  be  met. 


A  large  department  shop  had  been  delinquent  about  making  a 
refund  to  a  customer.  The  customer  had  written  three  polite  notes 
to  the  shop,  but  each  brought  only  a  brief  printed  form  saying 
that  the  matter  of  refund  was  being  adjusted  and  that  the  customer 
would  hear  more  fully  about  it  in  a  few  days,  or  words  to  that 
effect.  As  there  could  be  no  possible  question  about  the  justice 
of  making  the  refund,  the  customer  followed  his  third  form  notice 
with  a  sharp  letter  of  considerable  length.  The  result  was  the 
following  energetic  display  letter  from  the  shop :' 

128 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


The  movie  flash  and  caption  brought  to  hear. 


YOU   ARE   RIGHT. 

We  should  have  returned  this  money  long  ago. 
It's  our  fault  entirely,  that  you  have  been  annoyed. 
But  we're  not  going  to  bore  you  with  excuses. 

OUR  CHECK   IS   ENCLOSED. 

We  hope  you  receive  it  in  ample  time  to  meet  the 
exigencies  referred  to  in  your  letter.  It  goes  by 
special  delivery. 

WE  GIVE  YOU  CREDIT. 

Please  accept  a  credit  of  five  dollars  against  any 
purchase  you  care  to  make  at  our  store  at  any  time, 

and 

PLEASE   PARDON  US  I 


Negative  tone  is  no  more  to  be  recommended  in  letter  copy 
than  in  advertising  copy.  But  there  are  times  and  places  in 
both  for  its  use.  Nay  is  usually  more  emphatic  than  yea,  tho  it 
rarely  connotes  promise.  On  those  rare  occasions  when  it  does, 
it  makes  for  energy  and  decisiveness. 


129 

9-~(429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Negative  hut  climactic,  and  therefore  emphatic. 


Jones  was  decidedly  on  the  fence. 

Brown  did  not  believe  it  at  all. 

Smith  was  for  it  from  the  sky  down  and  from  the 
ground  up,  and  had  been  trying  to  make  them  both 
get  his  point  of  view.  Just  as  he  was  going  in  for 
final  arguments — his  piece  de  resistance — in  came  a 
messenger  boy  and  saved  him  the  trouble. 

The  wire  was  for  Brown,  and  it  read  as  follows  : 

Car  ditched.     Complete  wreck. 
Wife,  children  in  hospital. 
Come  immediately. 

"  Did  the  car  carry  chains  ?  "  asked  Jones. 

"  No,"  replied  Brown,  rather  sulkily. 

Smith  was  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to  say,  "  I  told 
you  so."  Besides,  he  didn't  have  to.  The  telegram 
had  completed  his  sales  argument  for  him,  with  both 
Jones  and  Brown. 

It  would  convert  any  one,  to  have  a  sixty -horse-power 
limousine  smashed  to  the  proverbial  smithereens, 
especially  when  it  carried  all  that  was  near  and  dear 
to  the  owner. 


The  three  letters  following  show  three  different  phases  of  energy  in 
letter  writing.  The  first  is  bad  ;  it  illustrates  misdirected  energy. 
The  second  is  better,  the  it  may  still  be  too  direct  and  assertive 
for  the  average  prospect.  The  third  has  the  advantage  of  being 
indirect  and  at  the  same  time  more  emphatic  than  either  of  the 
other  two. 


130 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


A, 

Yellow  letter  writing  is  twin  sister  to  yellow  journalism. 
The  writer  of  the  following  letter  tried  doubtless  to  energize 
his  letter,  but  he  made  it  weak  and  offensive  and 
egotistic  instead. 


YOU  need  this  book,  and  you  need  it  for  several 
reasons. 

I  know  what  I  am  talking  about  when  I  say  this,  for 
I  put  the  pages  together  with  you  in  mind. 

I'll  go  further  and  say  more  :  You  simply  cannot  get 
along  without  this  book,  and  here's  why  : 

1.  I'm  not  a  theorist  but  a  practitioner.  I've 
sold  nearly  everything  under  the  sun  that  is 
salable.  And  I've  always  made  use  of  the  same 
identical  methods  that  I  have  featured  for  you 
in  this  invaluable  publication. 

2.  My  book  will  absolutely  save  you  -hundreds — 
yes,  thousands — of  dollars  a  year  in  ridding 
your  letters  of  unnecessary  and  incorrect  state- 
ments, and  in  charging  them  with  power  and 
convincingness.  You  know  what  this  means  to 
any  business — to  your  business. 

3.  My  book  is  to  the  point,  at  the  point,  and  on 
the  point,  for  your  sales  and  advertising 
campaigns.  It  is  no  long-drawn-out, affair  that 
tells  how  something  ought  to  be  done.  It  is  a 
short-cut  statement  telling  exactly  how  I  did  a 
definite  thing,  and  with  you  in  mind. 

Don't  think  I'm  guessing.  I'm  not.  I'm  telling  you 
the  truth  about  one  of  the  biggest  opportunities  that 
ever  "bounced  down  a  boulevard  toward  your  business 
bungalow." 

And  I'm  so  enthusiastic  about  converting  that 
bungalow  into  a  skyscraper  for  you,  that  I'm  sending 
the  book  right  along.  All  you  have  to  do  is  tuck  a 
fiver  into  the  enclosed  stamped  envelope  by  way  of 
happy  acknowledgment  of  this  favor. 


131 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


B. 

This  is  a  less  personal  and  less  aggressive  letter  than 
the  above.  To  many,  however,  it  would  appear  as  too 
direct  and  cocksure  and  negative. 


How  many  times  have  you  almost  sweat  blood  while 
breaking  in  a  new  correspondent  ? 

Wrong  punctuation  ! 

Incorrect  spelling  !  ! 

Grammatical  mistakes  !  !  ! 

Et  cetera  !  !  !  !         Et  cetera  !  !  !  ! 


Why  not  use  a  good  office  manual  that  will  obviate 
these  annoyances  and  make  correctness  easier  than 
incorrectness  ? 


Why  not  standardize  the  knowledge  and  the  writing 
habits  of  your  stenographers  and  typists  by  means  of 
a  book  that  will  inspire  at  the  same  time  that  it 
informs  and  corrects  ? 


The  English  of  Commerce  is  such  a  book.  It  will 
train  and  standardize  and  inspire.  More  than  this,  it 
will  stamp  your  letter  output  with  the  tone  and 
atmosphere  of  quality. 

The  price  of  this  book  is  two  dollars  postpaid.  Let  us 
send  you  a  copy.  If  you  decide  to  use  it  for  office 
distribution,  we  shall  be  glad  to  allow  a  discount  of 
twenty  per  cent  on  five  or  more  copies. 


132 


\ 
THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

C. 
This  indirect,  more  conservative  form  is  more  forceful 
'than  the  two  preceding  letters. 


Thank  you  very  much  for  your  courtesy  in  sending 
me  a  copy  of  The  English  of  Commerce.  I  was  not 
altogether  a  stranger  to  the  book.  Professor  Jessup 
of  the  College  of  Business  keeps  a  copy  on  his  desk, 
and  some  time  ago  he  recommended  it  to  my  attention 
in  complimentary  terms. 

I  have  examined  this  new  publication  very  thoroly, 
and  I  am  glad  to  give  it  a  word  of  approval.  It  seems 
to  me  to  be  perfect  in  both  content  and  arrangement. 
The  author  has  skilfully  combined  variety  with  com- 
prehensiveness, novelty  of  presentation  with  taste 
and  restraint.  The  student  is  sure  to  find  it  invaluable 
as  a  book  of  information  and  guidance  and  inspiration. 
It  is  indexed  down  to  the  nth  degree,  so  that,  in  all  of 
the  wealth  of  materials  presented,  no  difficulty  what- 
ever is  encountered  in  "  coming  at  "  the  very  point 
wanted  at  any  given  time. 

You  have  produced  a  book  that  will  make  itself 
essential  not  only  to  the  commercial  school  and 
business  office,  but  to  the  general  school,  the  general 
office,  and  the  home,  as  well.  I  would  not  be  without 
it.  It  provides  excellent  reading  for  me  during  spare 
moments.  It  is  a  never-failing  and  reliable  reference 
book  for  me  in  time  of  need  on  a  thousand-and-one 
"  tickle  "  points  in  English.  It  is  altogether  a  delight 
and  a  comfort,  and  I  shall  keep  it  at  my  elbow. 

Thank  you  again. 


A  small  percentage  of  people  may  like  A  on  page  134,  but  a 
vastly  larger  percentage  will  be  sure  to  like  B.  The  sales  letter  writer 
should  play  not  only  to  the  largest  audience  whenever  and  however 
possible,  but  to  every  individual  in  the  audience.  And  there  is 
a  vast  range  of  adaptation  required  from  the  "  top  heaven  "  down 
to  the  proscenium  boxes. 

133 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A. 

Bxeeziness  is  not  necessarily  energy,  as  this 
letter  amply  illustrates. 


I  say — 

Talk  about  the  Sin  Twix  ! 

Have  you  heard  about  the  Triple  Ten  ? 

We're  not  referring  to  automobiles,  or  to  gasoline 
engines,  or  to  carpet  sweepers,  but  to  the  new  and 
inimitable 

FIRE-OUSTER   CYLINDER 

Three  of. these  to  the  average  residence,  and  it  is 
fire-protected  for  keeps  ! 

Each  large  cylinder  contains  ten  smaller  ones  ;  hence 
our  little  pleasantry  above, 

TRIPLE  TEN 


Place  the  large  cylinder  at  some  open  space  on  each 
floor.  Then,  when  your  conflagration  commences  its 
consuming  and  catastrophic  cataclysm,  press  a 
button  and 


PRESTO  !  !  !  !  ! 

Ten  small  cylinders  are  automatically  released  to  fly 
into  the  air  to  extinguish  the  inflammable  element 
that  might  otherwise  extinguish  you. 

So,  talk  about  the  Sin  Twix — 

Say  ! 


134 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 

B. 

The  previous  letter  written  in  this  style  is  less  likely  to  offend. 


You  have  come  to  consider  the  term  Twin  Six 
synonymous  with  speed  and  power.     And  so  it  is. 

We  are  trying  to  establish  the  same  connotation  in 
the  term  Triple  Ten,  but  for  a  different  purpose. 

The  new  Fire  Ouster  Cylinder  that  has  recently 
made  so  large  a  place  for  itself  among  fire  extinguish- 
ing devices,  embodies  the  very  latest  achievements 
of  inventive  genius  in  the  application  of  speed  and 
power  to  the  putting  out  of  fire. 

Three  of  these  cylinders  are  sufficient  protection  for 
the  average  building,  and  are  so  recognized  by  the 
fire  insurance  companies.  Every  cylinder  contains 
ten  smaller  cylinders  each  filled  with  the  latest 
patented  fire  extinguishing  chemicals.  Immediately 
the  fire  alarm  is  given,  you  press  a  button,  and  these 
cylinders  are  automatically  released  to  sprinkle 
their  contents  with  all  the  speed  and  power  and 
efficacy  of  the  high-power  automobile  engine. 

You  may  be  interested  in  seeing  for  yourself  just  how 
this  almost  magical  fire  extinguishing  device  works. 
If  so,  please  make  use  of  the  enclosed  pass  to  our 
demonstration  rooms,  where  daily  from  ten  to  four 
our  operatives  are  showing  just  exactly  what  it  will 
do  and  how  it  works. 


You  will  notice  that  the  pass  gives  you  a  choice  of 
three  dates.  This,  in  order  to  regulate  the  large 
numbers  who  are  taking  advantage  of  the  opportunity 
to  see  the  Triple  Ten  "  perform."  ■  Should  none  of 
these  dates  be  available  for  you,  we  shall  be  pleased 
to  assign  you  others  for  next  week  or  week  after. 


135 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Who  says  that  a  poet  is  not  a  good  business  letter  writer  ? 
The  following  written  by  Percy  Bysshe  Shelley  to  his 
publisher  could  not  be  clearer,  stronger,  and  more  direct. 


(About)  March   14,   1817. 


Dear  Sir. 


I  enclose  you  the  Revise  which  may  be  put  to 
press  when  corrected,  and  the  sooner  the  better. 
I  enclose  you  also  a  list  of  persons  to  whom  I  wish 
copies  to  be  s^nt  from  the  Author,  as  soon  as  possible. 
I  trust  you  will  be  good  enough  to  take  the  trouble  off 
my  hands. 


Do  not  advertise  sparingly  :  and  get  as  many 
booksellers  as  you  can  to  take  copies  on  their  own 
account.  Sherwood,  Neely  &  Co.,  Hone  of  Newgate 
Street,  Ridgeway,  and  Stockdale  are  people  likely  to 
do  so.  Send  20  or  30  copies  to  Messrs.  Hookham  & 
Co.,  Bond  Street,  without  explanation.  I  have 
arranged  with  them. 


Send  20  copies  to  me  addressed  to  Mr.  Hunt,  who 
will  know  what  to  do  with  them  if  I  am  out  of  town. 


Your  very  obedient  servant, 

P.  B.  Shelley. 


136 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Here  is  another  business  letter  by  the  poet  Shelley.  This 
time  he  is  adjusting  a  loan,  and  politely  requesting 
an  advance. 


Pisa, 
February  20,  1822. 

Gentlemen, 

Since  I  last  wrote  you,  a  friend  ^  of  mine  who  had 
occasion  to  transmit  ;^220  to  Mr.  Leigh  Hunt  has 
accommodated  me  with  that  sum  on  the  arrangement 
that  I  should  send  him  an  order  on  you  for  the  same 
amount,  payable  in  March  :  the  amount,  that  is  to 
say,  of  the  ensuing  quarter.  I  have  thus  in  part 
obtained  what  I  desired,  although  I  should  still  feel 
particularly  obliged  to  you  if  you  could  put  me  in 
the  way  of  rendering  my  June  quarter  available  at 
present.  '' 

You  will  be  so  obliging  as  to  pay  Mr.  Leigh  Hunt 
on  his  order  the  amount  of  my  quarter's  income 
due  in  March. 

Gentlemen,   I  have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  obliged  servant, 

Percy  Bysshe  Shelley. 

^  Lord  Byron. 


A  more  fitting  close  to  this  particular  section,  and  to  the  three 
sections  preceding  it,  than  the  Lincoln  letter  below  could  probably 
not  be  found.  It  is  a  model  of  force  and  firmness,  as  well  as  of 
unity  and  coherence.  While  it  is  not  strictly  a  business  letter,  in 
the  sense  in  which  this  book  is  treating  of  the  business  letter,   it 

137 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


nevertheless  deals  with  a  business  subject  and  does  so  in  both  a 
business  and  a  human  way.  It  is  a  combination  business  and 
friendly  letter.     It  will  stand  the  test  of  the  measurement  scale 


on  page  51. 


Dear  Johnston  : 


January  2,   1851. 


Your  request  for  eighty  dollars  I  do  not  think  it  best 
to  comply  with  now.  At  the  various  times  when  I 
have  helped  you  a  little  you  have  said  to  me,  "  We  can 
get  along  very  well  now  "  ;  but  in  a  very  short  time 
I  find  you  in  the  same  difficulty  again.  Now,  this  can 
only  happen  by  some  defect  in  your  conduct.  What 
that  defect  is,  I  think  I  know.  You  are  not  lazy,  and 
still  you  are  an  idler.  I  doubt  whether,  since  I  saw 
you,  you  have  done  a  good  whole  day's  work  in  any 
one  day.  You  do  not  very  much  dislike  to  work,  and 
stUl  you  do  not  work  much,  merely  because  it  does 
not  seem  to  you  that  you  could  get  much  for  it.  This 
habit  of  uselessly  wasting  time  is  the  whole  difficulty  ; 
it  is  vastly  important  to  you,  and  still  more  so  to  your 
children,  that  you  should  break  the  habit.  It  is  more 
important  to  them,  because  they  have  longer  to  live, 
and  can  keep  out  of  an  idle  habit  before  they  are  in  it, 
easier  than  they  can  get  out  after  they  are  in. 

You  are  now  in  need  of  some  money  ;  and  what  I 
propose  is,  that  you  shall  go  to  work,  "  tooth  and 
nail,"  for  somebody  who  will  give  you  money  for  it. 
Let  father  and  your  boys  take  charge  of  your  things 
at  home,  prepare  for  a  crop,  and  make  a  crop,  and 
you  go  to  work  for  the  best  money  wages,  or  in  dis- 
charge of  any  debt  you  owe,  that  you  can  get  ;  and, 
to  secure  you  a  fair  reward  for  your  labor,  I  now 
promise  you,  that  for  every  dollar  you  will,  between 
this  and  the  first  of  May,  get  for  your  own  labor, 
either  in  money  or  as  your  own  indebtedness,  I  will 
then  give  you  one  other  dollar.  By  this,  if  you  hire 
yourself  at  ten  dollars  a  month,  from  me  you  will  get 
ten  more,  making  twenty  dollars  a  month  for  your 
work.  In  this  I  do  not  mean  you  shall  go  off  to  St. 
Louis,    or   the   lead    mines,    or   the   gold   mines   in 

[Conld.  on  p.  139 

138 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Contd.  from  p.  138] 

California,  but  I  mean  for  you  to  go  at  it  for  the  best 
wages  you  can  get  close  to  home  in  Coles  County. 
Now,  if  you  will  do  this,  you  will  be  soon  out  of  debt, 
and,  what  is  better,  you  will  have  a  habit  that  will 
keep  you  from  getting  in  debt  again.  But,  if  I  should 
now  clear  you  out  of  debt,  next  year  you  would  be 
just  as  deep  in  as  ever.  You  say  you  would  almost 
give  your  place  in  heaven  for  seventy  or  eighty' dollars. 
Then  you  value  your  place  in  heaven  very  cheap,  for 
I  am  sure  you  can,  with  the  offer  I  make,  get  the 
seventy  or  eighty  dollars  for  four  or  five  months' 
work.  You  say  if  I  will  furnish  you  the  money  you 
will  deed  me  the  land,  and,  if  you  don't  pay  the 
money  back,  you  will  deliver  possession.  Nonsense  ! 
If  you  can't  now  live  with  the  land,  how  will  you 
then  live  without  it  ?  You  have  always  been  kind  to 
me,  and  I  do  not  mean  to  be  unkind  to  you.  On  the 
contrary,  if  you  will  but  follow  my  advice,  you  will 
find  it  worth  more  than  eighty  times  eighty  dollars 
to  you. 

Affectionately  your  brother, 

A.  Lincoln. 


After  all,  the  way  you  think  and  feel  and  live  and  have  your 
being  is  the  thing  that  counts  in  business  letter  writing,  as  in  other 
pursuits.  Some  one  has  said  that  the  business  letter  writer  must 
be  equipped  with  three  kinds  of  knowledge  :  knowledge  of  human 
nature,  knowledge  of  business,  knowledge  of  expression,  and  he 
evaluates  these  respectively  at  thirty-five  per  cent,  thirty-five 
per  cent,  and  thirty  per  cent.  We  can  have  no  disagreement  with 
the  items  certainly,  but  the  ratings  may  easily  enough  cause  "  an 
unquiet  house."  There  may,  however,  be  an  advantage  in  being 
definite  in  such  a  formula,  even  if  one  be  definitely  wrong.  When 
you  have  arrived  at  the  point  where  you  are  able  to  formulate  a 
definite  attitude  and  policy  toward  letter  writing,  you  are  con- 
siderably on  the  way.  What  matter  if  every  new  tomorrow  bear 
on  its  wing  revelations  that  oblige  you  to  readjust  your  attitude 
and  re-frame  your  policy  ? 

But  we  must  insist  that  the  knowledge  upon  which  business 

139 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


letter  writing  is  based,  be  rooted  in  sound  judgment  and  manifested 
thru  fine  imagination.  There  is  no  form  of  composition  in  which 
right  habits  of  using  knowledge  and  forming  judgments  and 
evincing  imagination  count  for  more  than  in  business  letter  writing. 
Test  yourself  constantly  by  the  following  seven  habits  in  business 
letter  knowledge  and  judgment  and  imagination.  Disregard  all 
attempts  at  relative  percentage  values.  The  importance  of  each 
must  vary  with  the  individual : 

BASIC  MENTAL   HABITS 

FOR 

BUSINESS   LETTER   ENGLISH 

Of  writing  well,  right  thinking  is  the  beginning  and  the  fount. 

— Horace,  in  the  "  Epistle  to  the  Pisos." 

\.  The  habit  of  visuaHzing  or  dramatizing  a  letter  situation. 

2.  The  habit  of  "  othering  "  yourself,  and  getting  the  right  point  of  view. 

3.  The  habit  of  determining  the  correct  purpose  and  impression  desired. 

4.  The  habit  of  formulating  a  mental  outline  of  parts — eliminate. 

5.  The  habit  of  driving  straight  to  the  point  by  means  of  simple  and  direct 

language — economize. 

6.  The  habit  of  avoiding  vagueness,  obscurity,  ambiguity,  and  unnecessary 

technicality — elucidate, 

7.  The  habit  of  choosing  virile,  forceful,  fresh,  and  inspiring  expression — 

energize. 

Do  not  expect  to  write  successfully  for  business  until  you  have 
been  broken  on  the  wheel  of  effort  and  disappointment  and  failure, 
any  more  than  you  would  try  to  reap  the  harvest  before  the  sun 
has  had  its  way  with  vegetation.  There  will  be  retributive  cramps 
if  you  do.  If  you  desire  unfathomably  ;  if  you  read  omnivorously  ; 
if  you  practice  indefatigably,  you  will  arrive.  There  is  no  slot- 
machine  method,  no  capsule  code,  no  royal  road,  no  peasants' 
pathway.  Persistent,  dynamic  work  in  your  own  "  scribbletory  " 
is  the  only  talisman,  provided  you  base  that  work  upon  wide 
reading,  and  provided  you  are  dedicated  not  only  to  telling  the 
truth,  but  as  well  to  being  the  truth. 

Try  to  see  and  to  feel  literature  always  to  some  extent  from  the 
business  angle.  A  vast  amount  of  the  best  literature  is  based  upon 
trade  and  deals  with  it.     The  whole  action  of  The  Merchant  of 

140 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Venice  centers  in  a  financial  agreement,  but  perhaps  you  have 
permitted  yourself  to  think  much  more  of  the  Venice  than  of  the 
merchant.  Silas  Mamer,  you  know,  was  a  weaver,  who  worked 
incessantly  at  his  loom  and  sold  the  product  thereof.  Gray,  in 
his  Deserted  Village,  sounded  a  dirge  for  workers.  Priscilla  worked 
at  her  spinning  wheel  while  she  was  being  wooed ;  and  not  only 
was  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  keenly  interested  in  trade  and  finance, 
but  the  very  pages  thru  which  the  gracious  old  gentleman  saw  the 
light  were  supported  in  large  measure  by  advertising.  Uncle 
Venner,  in  The  House  of  the  Seven  Gables,  tried  to  imbue  Hepzibah 
in  her  shopkeeping  experiment  with  something  of  the  spirit  of 
Polyanna,  for  he  said  to  her,  you  remember,  "  A  stale  article, 
if  you  dip  it  in  a  good  warm  sunny  smile,  will  go  off  better  than  a 
fresh  one  that  you've  scowled  upon."  And  Jesus  said,  "  Render 
unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's."  The  theologians  tell 
you  He  was  talking  ethics  when  He  said  this.  The  historians  say 
He  was  talking  politics.  The  lawyers  assert  He  was  expounding 
the  law.  He  was  doing  all  of  this  and  more.  Verily,  verily,  we 
say  unto  you.  He  was  trying  to  educate  certain  people  in  the 
common,  ordinary  tenets  of  business  truth  and  honesty.  And  He 
was  doing  it  in  economical,  expUcit,  and  energetic  language. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  business  and  industrial  slants  to  be 
discerned  in  so-caUed  pure  literature.  Of  the  many  excellent  con- 
crete results  to  be  had  from  good  reading,  these  are  probably  of 
first  importance.  It  gives  you  backgrounds  to  build  your  thought 
upon  and  it  gives  you  ideals  to  aim  your  expression  at.  Do  not 
take  this  to  mean  that  you  are  to  try  to  imitate.  You  could  not 
really  do  this  if  you  would,  for  there  is  a  mystic  elusive  element  in 
the  best  books  that  defies  imitation.  And  do  not  think  that  you 
are  being  urged  to  overdo  the  commercial  angle  in  literature. 
Read  many  good  books  just  in  and  for  themselves,  and  they  will 
unconsciously  assist  you  in  business  expression.  But  refuse  to 
beUeve  that  literature  is  something  apart  from  business.  All  good 
business  expression  is  literature.  All  good  literature  is  adaptable 
to  business  points  of  view. 

As  simply  one  creed,  one  attitude,  one  ideal,  in  the  practice  of 
business  letter  writing,  the  following  may  be  interesting  to  you. 
Mind  you,  we  are  not  saying  it  is  for  you.  You  must  work  out 
your  own  according  to  such  light  and  experience  as  comes  to  you. 

141 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Then  you  must  keep  revising,  rephrasing,  rejecting,  and  re-originat- 
ing Credos,  until  earth's  last  letter  is  written  and  the  paper  is 
blotted  and  dried.  That  is,  if  you  would  enter  upon  the  task  of 
business  expression  as  an  artist  abandons  himself  to  a  masterpiece. 
This  may  seem  like  a  large  order.  It  is.  We  should  be  ashamed 
to  serve  any  other  kind  in  connection  with  so  important  a  calling 
as  business  letter  writing. 

THE   EDITOR   SPEAKS 

{In  defiance  of  R.  K.) 

If  you  can  feel  an  author's  fine  conviction. 

In  poem,  play,  or  essay  that  you  read  ; 
If  you  can  live  a  piece  of  brillant  fiction, 

And  get  a  thrill  from  every  noble  deed  ; 
If  you  can't  leave  a  book,  once  you  begin  it. 

Until  you  know  just  what  it's  all  about ; 
If  you  can  love  a  book  for  good  that's  in  it. 

And  go  to  it  for  help,  year  in,  year  out ; 

If  you  can  find  a  joy  in  juggling  phrases, 

And  have  a  great  adventure  with  a  word  ; 
If  you  can  stare  at  copy  till  it  dazes, 

And  yet  see  beauty  everywhere  it's  blurred  ; 
If  you  can  polish  every  bloomin'  sentence 

As  patiently  as  raindrops  polish  sand  ; 
And  then  discard  them  all  without  repentance. 

And  start  anew,  with  ready,  willing  hand  ; 

If  you  can  everlastingly  keep  at  it. 

Just  for  itself,  without  a  thought  of  fame  ; 
If  you  can  weigh  advice,  and  not  combat  it. 

Then  feed  your  inky  offspring  to  the  flame  ; 
If  you  can  slave  and  drudge  and,  never  shirking. 

Can  keep  your  vision  and  the  inner  light ; 
If  you  can  fail  and  fail,  yet  keep  on  working, — 

The  chances  are  you'll  sometime  learn  to  write. 

Tho  it  is  by  no  means  within  the  province  of  this  book  to  discuss 
the  niceties  of  grammar  and  diction,  it  may  nevertheless  prove  a 
valuable  summary  of  the  foregoing  pages  to  list  a  few  of  the  common 
errors  that  almost  regularly  appear  in  business  letters.  With  the 
assistance  of  a  group  of  students  the  author  has  examined  upwards 
of  eleven  hundred  business  letters  of  all  sorts,  from  the  briefest 
possible  forms  to  long  circular  statements,  for  the  purpose  of 
"  running  down  "  the  slips  and  weaknesses  in  business  expression. 

142 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


The  one  hundred  fifty  here  classified  in  a  general  way  represent, 
in  part,  the  results  of  that  work.  They  constitute  by  no  means 
all  the  ills  that  business  letter  language  is  heir  to.  But  they  are 
ample  in  number  and  variety  to  enable  the  average  business  letter 
writer  to  master  his  besetting  difiiculties,  if  he  will  study  them. 
Reasons  for  correction  are  not  given.  There  are  hundreds  of  books 
(including  the  dictionary)  that  afford  lucid  and  elaborate  explanation 
for  each  one.  Moreover,  we  have  long  since  been  told  that  language 
is  ninety-five  per  cent  visual  and  auditory,  and  only  five  per  cent 
ratiocination. 

Every  error  treated  represents  violation  of  some  grammatical 
or  rhetorical  principle,  and  there  is  practically  no  repetition  of 
kind  of  error.  The  phraseology  is  not  always  that  of  the  original 
letter  from  which  quotation  is  made.  In  some  instances  it  has 
been  generalized  ;  in  others  it  has  been  changed  in  order  to  secure 
anonymity.  The  eight  classifications  correspond  roughly  as  follow 
to  the  divisions  used  in  this  chapter  :  Errors  of  omission  frequently 
occur  because  the  principle  of  economy  is  not  properly  gaged  ; 
errors  in  modification,  reference,  connection,  agreement,  relation, 
and  diction  are  perhaps  most  likely  to  defy  the  principle  of  elucida- 
tion ;  errors  in  emphasis  detract  from  the  energy  of  a  piece  of 
writing.  But  these  relationships  are,  of  course,  most  general. 
A  single  kind  of  error  in  expression  usually  violates  to  some  degree 
all  principles  of  expression. 


143 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


150  COMMON  ERRORS  IN  BUSINESS  LETTER  WRITING 
(Compiled  and  Classified  from  1139  Actual  Business  Letters  of 
ALL  Sorts  and  Conditions) 

This  is  what  the  letter  said      but     This  is  what  the  letter  meant. 


Errors  of  omission  with 

1.  Received  shipment  yesterday. 


>   Corrections'^ 
1.  We     received      the 
yesterday. 


shipment 


2.  Trusting  this  arrangement  will 
be  satisfactory,  we  are 

Very  truly  yours, 

3.  Your  letter  was  received  in 
ample  time. 

4.  He  never  has  dealt  with  us  and 
he  never  will  deal  with  us. 

5.  He  is  a  maker  of  and  dealer  in 
bond  papers. 

6.  He  gave  us  a  soiled  and  an 
unsoiled  catalog. 

7.  The  secretary  and  the  treasurer 
were  present  at  the  conference. 

8.  They  gave  a  banquet  to  their 
former  supervisor  and  to  their 
present  one. 

9.  This  is  as  good  as  the  other 
brand,  if  not  better. 

10.  We  like  the  new  system  better 
than  the  Wilson  Company  likes 
it. 

11.  This  is  better  than  any  other 
model  made. 

12.  The  young  man's  record  is  equal 
to  that  of  the  oldest  employee 
in  the  office. 

13.  We  must  support  this  policy  as 
well  as  all  future  policies. 

14.  They  make  these  products  better 
than  anybody  else. 

*  In  a  few  easily  recognizable  instances  it  will  be  evident  that  the  correct 
form  depends  to  some  extent  upon  the  context. 

144 


2.  Trusting  this  arrangement  will 
be  satisfactory, 

Very  truly  yours, 

3.  Yours  received  in  ample  time. 


4.  He  never  has  and  he  never  will 
deal  with  us. 

5.  He  is  a  maker  and  dealer  in 
bond  papers. 

6.  He  gave  us  a  soiled  and  unsoiled 
catalog. 

7.  The    secretary    and    treasurer 
were  present  at  the  conference. 

8.  They  gave  a  banquet  to  their 
former  and  present  supervisor. 


9.  This  is  as  good,  if  not  better 
than  the  other  brand. 

10.  We  like  the  new  system  better 
than  the  Wilson  Company. 


11.  This  is  better  than  any  model 
made. 

12.  The  young  man's  record  is  equal 
to  the  oldest  employee  in  the 
office. 

13.  We  must  support  this  as  well  as 
all  future  policies. 

14.  They  make  these  products  better 
than  anybody. 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


This  is  what  the  letter  said      but     This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  modification  with 

15.  We  only  require  three  state- 
ments. 

16.  Please  fill  out  the  forms  enclosed 
with  ink. 

17.  The  paper  was  stamped  in  two 
colors  that  blew  out  of  the 
window. 

18.  His  services  are  not  only  valu- 
able in  the  executive  offices  but 
also  on  the  road. 

19.  He  both  understands  the  theory 
and  the  practice. 

20.  He  has  neither  received  the 
report  nor  the  statement. 

21.  We  are  very  interested  in  your 
plan. 

22.  You  ought  to  as  promptly  as 
possible  order  the  goods. 

23.  The  credit  is  somebody's  else. 

24.  It  is  a  plan  that  works  good. 

25.  The  day  was  spent  in  the  fac- 
tory looking  over  the  machinery. 

26.  Replying  to  your  letter,  the 
situation  is  improved. 


27.  Of  the  two  this  is  the  best. 

28.  He  doesn't  work  for  us  no  more. 


29.  This  is  the  most  strongest  shovel 
made. 

30.  We  haven't  hardly  the  facilities 
to  make  this  possible. 

31.  We  haven't  the  blanks,  nor  even 
the  paper  on  which  to  run 
them  off. 


Corrections 

15.  We  require  only  three  state- 
ments. 

16.  Please  fill  out  with  ink  the 
enclosed  forms. 

17.  The  paper  that  blew  out  of  the 
window  was  stamped  in  two 
colors. 

18.  His  services  are  valuable  not 
only  in  the  executive  offices  but 
also  on  the  road. 

19.  He  understands  both  the  theory 
and  the  practice. 

20.  He  has  received  neither  the 
report  nor  the  statement. 

21.  We  are  very  much  interested  in 
your  plan. 

22.  You  ought  to  order  the  goods  as 
promptly  as  possible. 

23.  The  credit  is  somebody  else's. 

24.  It  is  a  plan  that  works  well. 

25.  We  spent  the  day  in  the  factory 
looking  over  the  machinery. 

26.  Replying  to  your  letter,  I  am 
glad  to  say  that  the  situation 
is  improved. 

27.  Of  the  two  this  is  the  better. 

28.  He  doesn't  work  for  us  any 
more. 

29.  This  is  the  strongest  shovel 
made. 

30.  We  have  hardly  the  facilities  to 
make  this  possible. 

31.  We  haven't  the  blanks,  or  even 
the  paper  on  which  to  run  them 
off. 


145 


10— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


This  is  what  the  letter  said      but     This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  reference  w 

32.  The  president  gave  his  secretary 
a  statement  for  the  papers  before 
he  left  for  Chicago. 


32. 


33.  Jones  wrote  to  Smith  that  he        33. 
would  see  him  at  the  conference 
in  Cleveland. 


Corrections 

Before  the  president  left  for 
Chicago  he  gave  his  secretary 
a  statement  for  the  papers. 

Jones  wrote  to  Smith  :  "  I  shall 
see  you  at  the  conference  in 
Cleveland." 


34.  He  is  untiring  in  his  insistence        34. 
upon  accuracy  but  it  does  not  i 
make  him  disagreeable.  j 


35.  He  received  an  unexpected 
dividend  from  his  investment 
which  pleased  him  very  much. 

36.  Your  order  is  appreciated  and 
which  will  be  given  immediate 
attention. 

37.  We  have  just  received  your 
order  and  same  will  be  given 
immediate  attention. 

38.  We  have  re-read  the  lease  whose 
meaning  was  not  at  first  clear. 


39.  He  is  the  officer  which  I  refer  to. 

40.  Every  depositor  should  have 
their  book  balanced  monthly. 

41.  The  company  has  presented 
their  side  of  the  case. 

42.  Neither  John  nor  James  filed 
their  reports. 

43.  The  letter  bore  the  president's 
signature,  and  he  is  therefore 
responsible. 


He  is  untiring  in  his  insistence 
upon  accuracy  but  this  attitude 
does  not  make  him  disagreeable. 


35. 


36. 


37. 


He 
on 


was    very    much     pleased 
receiving     an     unexpected 


dividend  from  his  investment. 

Your  order  is  appreciated.     It 
will  receive  immediate  attention. 


We  have  just  received  your 
order  and  we  shall  give  it 
immediate  attention. 


38.  We  have  re-read  the  lease  the 
meaning  of  which  was  not  at 
first  clear. 

39.  He  is  the  officer  whom  I  refer  to. 

40.  Every  depositor  should  have  his 
book  balanced  monthly. 

41.  The  company  has  presented  its 
side  of  the  case. 

42.  Neither  John  nor  James  filed 
his  reports. 

43.  The  letter  bore  the  signature  of 
the  president,  and  he  is  therefore 
responsible. 


14€i 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


This  is  what  the  letter  said     but    This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  connection  'w 

44.  He  is  an  excellent  accountant 
and  he  lives  in  one  of  our  most 
beautiful  suburbs. 

45.  You  may  have  received  it  by 
this  time.  Tho  I  think  it 
unlikely. 

46.  We  wrote  you  on  October  5  your 
reply  was  received  on  October  10. 


I  Corrections 

44.  He  is  an  excellent  accountant. 
.  .  .  He  lives  in  one  of  our 
most  beautiful  suburbs. 

45.  You  may  have  received  it  by 
this  time,  tho  I  think  it  unlikely. 


46.  We  wrote  you  on  October  5, 
Your  reply  was  received  on 
October  10. 


47.  His  dictation  having  been  com- 
pleted, the  manager  turned  his 
attention  to  the  annual  report. 

48.  We  have  just  announced  a 
special  sale.  You  may  be 
interested  in  it. 

49.  We  shall  try  and  see  you  on  our 
next  trip. 

50.  We  have  worked  day  and  night, 
and  we  have  failed. 


47.  On  completing  his  dictation  the 
manager  turned  his  attention  to 
the  annual  report. 

48.  You  may  be  interested  in  a 
special  sale  that  we  have  just 
announced. 

49.  We  shall  try  to  see  you  on  our 
next  trip. 

50.  We  have  worked  day  and  night, 
but  we  have  failed. 


51.  While  we  have  worked  day  and 
night,  we  have  failed. 

52.  When     I     was     dictating     the 
telephone  rang. 


51.  Altho  we  have  worked  day  and 
night,  we  have  failed. 


52.  While     I    was    dictating, 
telephone  rang. 


the 


53.  He  explained  how  there  was  a 
deficit. 


53.  He  explained  that  there  was  a 
deficit. 


54.  We  are  glad  to  say  as  the 
arrangement  is  satisfactory. 

55.  Neither  our  secretary  or  our 
treasurer  can  be  present. 

56.  As  I  was  leaving  for  Denver  he 
asked  me  to  transact  some 
business  for  him. 


54.  We  are  glad  to  say  that  the 
arrangement  is  satisfactory. 

55.  Neither  our  secretary  nor  our 
treasurer  can  be  present. 

56.  Inasmuch  as  I  was  leaving  for 
Denver,  he  asked  me  to  transact 
some  business  there  for  him. 


57.  The  man  who  wrote  the  letter 
that  you  inquire  about  in  your 
communication  of  June  10  which 
has  just  been  received  is  now 
absent  on  vacation. 


57.  Your  communication  of  June  10 
has  just  been  received.  The 
writer  of  the  letter  about  which 
you  inquire  is  now  absent  on 
vacation. 


147 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


This  is  what  the  letter  said     but    This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  agreement  w 

58.  We  refer  you  to  Saks  and  Macy's 
stores. 

59.  We  refer  you  to  Wanamaker's 
and  Brown's  stores. 


I  Corrections 

58.  We    refer    you     to    Saks'    and 
Macy's  stores. 

59.  We   refer   you    to   Wanamaker 
and  Brown's  stores. 


60.  This  sort  of  a  draft  is  issued  in 
quadruplicate. 

61.  These   kind   of  fabric  will  not 
shrink. 


60.  This  sort  of  draft  is  issued  in 
quadruplicate. 

61.  This    kind    of  fabric  will    not 
shrink. 


62.  One    of    our    clerks,    Smith    or 
Brown,  are  responsible. 

63.  One      thousand      dollars     was 
scattered  over  the  counter. 


62.  One    of   our    clerks,    Smith    or 
Brown,  is  responsible. 

63.  One     thousand     dollars     were 
scattered  over  the  counter. 


64.  One  thousand  dollars  are  a 
good  round  sum. 

65.  The  way  a  business  letter  looks 
is  as  important  as  its  contents. 

66.  There  are  not  as  many  em- 
ployees at  work  today  as 
yesterday. 

67.  He  don't  care  to  consider  it. 

68.  The  latest  display  of  gowns  are 
now  ready. 

69.  The  committee  have  unani- 
mously sanctioned  the  procedure 

70.  A  catalog,  together  with  a  price 
list,  were  sent. 

7 1 .  The  treasurer,  not  the  secretary, 
are  responsible  for  the  mistake. 

72.  The  treasurer,  as  well  as  the 
secretary,  are  in  error. 

73.  He  intended  to  have  gone 
tomorrow. 

74.  It  has  been  replaced  twice  last 
month. 


64.  One  thousand  dollars  is  a  good 
round  sum. 

65.  The  picture  of  a  business  letter 
is  as  important  as  its  content, 

66.  There  are  not  so  many  employees- 
at  work  today  as  yesterday. 


67.  He  doesn't  care  to  consider  it. 

68.  The  latest  display  of  gowns  is 
now  ready. 

69.  The  committee  has  unanimously 
sanctioned  the  procedure. 

70.  A  catalog,  together  with  a  price 
list,  was  sent. 

7 1 .  The  treasurer,  not  the  secretary, 
is  responsible  for  the  mistake. 

72.  The  treasurer,   as  well   as   the 
secretary,  is  in  error. 

73.  He  intended  to  go  tomorrow. 

74 .  It  was  replaced  twice  last  month . 


148 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


This  is  what  the  letter  said      but     This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  agreement  w 

75.  There  was  many  corrections  to 
be  made. 

76.  In  the  righthand  file  in  the 
outer  office  was  found  the 
long-looked- for  booklets. 

77.  We  will  be  glad  to  accommodate 
you. 

78.  You  will  make  this  right,  even 
tho  we  have  to  sue. 

79.  I  shall  positively  never  comply 
with  such  a  request. 

80.  Will  we  continue  your  name  on 
our  list  ? 

81.  I  should  not  do  that  if  I  were 
you. 

82.  We  announce  to  the  smoking 
public  that  our  new  cigarette 
was  composed  of  a  triple  blend. 

83.  This  notice  is  different  than  that. 

84.  We  agree  with  your  terms. 

85.  They  confided  their  secret 
policies  with  him. 

86.  Our  plant  is  convenient  for  the 
station. 

87.  It  is  convenient  to  me  to  meet 
you. 

88.  I  cannot  reconcile  your  letter  of 
September  30  to  your  letter  of 
October  9. 


H  Corrections 

75.  There  were  many  corrections  to 
be  made. 

76.  In  the  righthand  file  in  the 
outer  office  were  found  the 
long-looked-for  booklets. 

77.  We  shall  be  glad  to  accom- 
modate you. 

78.  You  shall  make  this  right,  even 
tho  we  have  to  sue. 

79.  I  will  positively  never  comply 
with  such  a  request. 

80.  Shall  we  continue  your  name  on 
our  list  ? 

81.  I  would  not  do  that  if  I  were 
you. 

82.  We  announce  to  the  smoking 
public  that  our  new  cigarette  is 
composed  of  a  triple  blend. 

83.  This  notice  is  different  from  that . 

84.  We  agree  to  your  terms. 

85.  They  confided  their  secret 
policies  to  him. 

86.  Our  plant  is  convenient  to  the 
station. 

87.  It  is  convenient  for  me  to  meet 
you. 

88.  I  cannot  reconcile  your  letter  of 
September  30  with  your  letter 
of  October  9. 


149 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


This  is  what  the  letter  said     but     This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  case  relation  w 

89.  He  audits  as  well  as  me. 

90.  If  I  were  him  I  would  go. 

91.  It   was   me   who   received   the 
statement. 

92.  The    accounting    was    divided 
between  you  and  I. 

93.  This  is  him  whom,  they  think, 
should  be  promoted. 

94.  Us  executives  are  to  be  enter- 
tained by  the  clerical  force. 

95.  She,  not  me,    filed    the    corre- 
spondence. 

96.  We  did  not  know  of  him  going. 

97.  Four  employees — ^you,  him,  her, 
and  me — ^are  invited. 

98.  Whom  did  you  think  he  was  ? 

99.  Who  did  you  write  to  ? 

100.  Who  do  you  take  me  to  be  ? 

101.  Write    to    whoever    you    think 
best. 

102.  Write  to  whomever  you  think 
will  do  the  work  best. 

103.  Who   the   gods   would   destroy 
they  first  make  mad. 

104.  He  was  given  the  figures. 


H  Corrections 

89.  He  audits  as  well  as  I. 

90.  If  I  were  he  I  would  go. 

91.  It    was    I    who    received    the 
statement. 

92.  The    accounting    was    divided 
between  you  and  me. 

93.  This  is  he  who,  they  think,  should 
be  promoted. 

94.  We  executives  are  to  be  enter- 
tained by  the  clerical  force. 

95.  She,    not    I,    filed    the    corre- 
spondence. 

96.  We  did  not  know  of  his  going. 

97.  Four  employees — ^you,  he,  she, 
and  I — are  invited. 

98.  Who  did  you  think  he  was  ? 

99.  Whom  did  you  write  to  ? 

100.  Whom  do  you  take  me  to  be  ? 

101.  Write  to  whomever  you  think 
best. 


Write    to    (him)    whoever   you 
think  will  do  the  work  best, 

(Those)   whom  the  gods  would 
destroy  they  first  make  mad. 


102. 
103. 
104,  The  figures  were  given  to  him 


150 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


This  is  what  the  letter  said     but     This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  diction 

105.  The  speculator  was  deeply 
effected  by  his  losses. 

106.  The  installation  of  this  machin- 
ery has  affected  increased  out- 
put. 

107.  Most  all  of  our  work  is  done  by 
hand. 

108.  He  does  not  know  which  of  the 
four  alternatives  he  will  choose. 

109.  We  have  a  choice  of  two  pieces. 


110.  The  dispute  among  the  two 
managers  caused  amusement 
between  the  employees. 


WITH  Corrections 


We  have  many  other  devices 
beside  this  one. 


112.  Can  I  show  you  this  policy  ? 

113.  He  and  I  have  had  a  common 
purpose  in  all  our  dealings  with 
each  other. 

114.  They  won  the  exhibition  prizes, 
due  to  their  original  display. 

115.  He  has  been  an  exceptionable 
employee  for  many  years. 

116.  There  are  less  cherries  in  this 
carton  than  in  that. 

117.  He  has  gotten  his  premium  at 
last. 

118.  This  is  a  most  healthful  break- 
fast food. 

119.  He  lay  his  hat  on  the  table  and 
laid  down  on  his  office  sofa. 

120.  Leave   us   examine  his   record. 


105.  The  speculator  was  deeply 
affected  by  his  losses. 

106.  The  installation  of  this  machin- 
ery has  effected  increased  out- 
put. 

107.  Almost  all  of  our  work  is  done 
by  hand. 

108.  He  does  not  know  which  of  the 
four  courses  he  will  choose. 

109.  We  have  an  alternative  of  two 
pieces. 

110.  The  dispute  between  the  two 
managers  caused  amusement 
among  the  employees. 

111.  We  have  many  other  devices 
besides  this  one. 

112.  May  I  show  you  this  policy  ? 

113.  He  and  I  have  had  a  mutual 
purpose  in  all  our  dealings  with 
each  other. 

114.  Their  success  in  the  exhibition 
was  due  to  their  original  display. 

115.  He  has  been  an  exceptional 
employee  for  many  years. 


116 

117.  He  has  his  premium  at  last 

118. 

119. 

120.  Let  us  examine  his  record 


There  are  fewer  cherries  in  this 
carton  than  in  that. 


This     is     a     most     wholesome 
breakfast  food. 

He  laid  his  hat  on  the  table  and 
lay  on  the  office  sofa. 


151 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


This  is  what  the  letter  said     but     This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  diction 


WITH 


121.  He  is  liable  to  violate  the  order   I    121, 
and    thus    will   likely   have    to 
pay  damages. 

122.  Lots   of  houses   are   over  cap-       122. 
italized. 

123.  He  makes  practical   plans  be-       123. 
cause  he  himself  is  a  practicable 
man. 

124.  He      received     principle     -with       124, 
interest. 

125.  The  high  quality  of  our  product       125. 
has  been  proven. 

126.  I  shall  sign  providing  the  terms       126. 
are  satisfactory. 

127.  John  has  done  real  well  in  real       127. 
estate. 

128.  The     consolidation     transpired       128. 
during  my  absence  in  Europe. 

129.  We    cannot    transact    business       129. 
with  you  without  you  meet  us 
half  way. 


Corrections 

He  is  likely  to  violate  the  order 
and  thus  make  himself  liable  for 
damages. 

Many  houses  are  over  cap- 
italized. 

He  makes  practicable  plans  be- 
cause he  himself  is  a  practical 
man. 

He  received  principal  with 
interest. 

The  high  quality  of  our  product 
has  been  proved. 

I  shall  sign  provided  the  terms 
are  satisfactory. 

John  has  done  very  well  in  real 
estate. 

The  consolidation  took  place 
during  my  absence  in  Europe. 

We  cannot  transact  business 
with  you  unless  you  meet  us 
half  way. 


152 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


This  is  what  the  letter  said     but     This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  rhythm  and  emphasis      with 
130.  You  are  doing  exactly  the  right      130, 
thing,  or  at  least  we  think  so. 


131.  Therefore  we  believe  that  this 
is  the  only  fair  arrangement. 

132.  There  are  just  two  reasons  why 
you  should  buy  the  Helco  :  It 
costs  less — ^it  does  more. 

133.  Be  prompt,  be  positive,  be 
particular,  if  you  would  forge 
ahead. 

134.  You  did  not  appear  until  two 
o'clock. 

135.  It  is  a  privilege  to  work  for  and 
with  Thompson,  he  being  a  bom 
leader. 


136. 


He  does  not  understand  and  he 
makes  little  or  no  effort. 


137.  He  was  taken  in  charge  by  an 
officer. 

138.  You    said    you    would    accom- 
modate me  and  I  expect  you  to. 


139.  You  are  efficient,  rehable,  and 
young. 

140.  We  should  like  to  call  your 
attention  to  our  new  heating 
apparatus,  and  its  appropriate- 
ness for  your  new  house. 

141.  In  reply  to  your  courtesy  of 
July  12. 

142.  Sorry,  but  we  never  refund  on 
articles  of  special  sale. 


143.  If  you  do  not  accept  this  offer, 
-  you    will    never    have    such    a 
chance  again. 


131, 


132. 


Corrections 
You  are  doing,  we  think,  exactly 
the  right  thing. 

We  believe,  therefore,  that  this 
is  the  only  fair  arrangement. 

It  costs  less — 4t  does  more :  Just 
two  reasons,  two  just  reasons, 
why  you  should  buy  the  Helco. 


133.  If  you  would  forge  ahead,  be 
prompt,  be  positive,  be  par- 
ticular. 

134.  Not  until  two  o'clock  did  you 
put  in  an  appearance. 

135.  Thompson  is  a  bom  leader,  and 
it  is  consequently  a  privilege 
to  work  for  and  with  him. 

136.  Not  only  does  he  not  under- 
stand, but  he  makes  little  or  no 
effort. 

137.  An  officer  took  him  in  charge. 

138.  You  said  you  would  accom- 
modate me  and  I  expect  you 
to  accommodate  me. 

139.  You  are  young,  efficient,  and 
reliable. 

140.  Have  you  decided  the  question 
of  heating  your  new  house  ? 


141.  Thank  you  for  your  courtesy  of 
July  12. 

142.  We  appreciate  your  giving  us  an 
opportunity  to  adjust  any  dis- 
satisfaction. 

143.  In  accepting  this  remarkable 
offer  you  will  have  cause  for 
pride  and  justification  as  long  as 
you  live. 


153 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


This  is  what  the  letter  said     but     This  is  what  the  letter  meant 


Errors  in  rhythm  and  emphasis    with 

144.  Hoping  this  solution  of  the 
difficulty  will  meet  with  your 
approval. 


145.  No  matter  what  happens,  all 
you  have  to  do  is  to  snap  the 
clip.  The  brake  may  slip  some- 
times, but  the  snap  will  make 
it  safe.  Sometimes  it  may  sway 
or  run  along  continuously,  or  it 
may  balk  and  stop  altogether, 
but  the  snap  will  always  do  the 
trick. 


Corrections 

144.  This  solution  of  the  difficulty 
will,  we  hope,  meet  with  your 
approval. 

145.  If  it  slips,  snap  it ;  if  it  slides, 
snap  it ;  if  it  sways,  snap  it ; 
if  it  sticks,  snap  it ;  if  it  stops, 
snap  it. 


146.  We  are  satisfied  with  the  first 
and  third  articles  in  the  contract, 
but  not  with  the  others. 


147.  We  have  only  one  price,  but 
that  is  fair  and  just  and  right. 

148.  In  choosing  a  car,  choose  one 
that  will  never  make  you  regret 
your  choice. 

149.  If  you  eat  an  apple  frequently 
you  will  have  little  occasion  to 
call  the  doctor. 

150.  These  soles  are  sewed  to  give 
service  and  satisfaction  to  cus- 
tomers. 


146.  With  the  first  and  third  articles 
in  the  contract  we  are  satisfied, 
but  we  are  not  satisfied  with 
the  other  articles. 

147.  Just  one  price  ;    one  just  price. 

148.  Select  the  car  of  no  regrets. 


149.  An    apple    a    day    keeps    the 
doctor  away. 


150.  Satisfactory  service  guaranteed 
in  our  repair  department. 


By  way  of  slight  but  practical  summary  of  the  contents  of  this 
chapter,  the  student  should  study  the  following  chart  for  the 
criticism  of  letter  copy,  and  with  the  chart  as  guide  rewrite  the 
defective  letters  that  follow  it : 


154 


THE   COMPOSITION   OF   THE   BUSINESS    LETTER 


Chart  for  Letter -Copy  Criticism 

I.     The  picture  . 


II.     The  paragraphing 


III.     The  diction  . 


IV.     The  sentences 


V.     The  spelUng. 


VI.     The  punctuation 


VII.     The  whole  composition 


VIII.     The  general  tone 


Is  it  pleasing  ? 

Is  it  well  balanced  ? 

Is  it  properly  placed  ? 

Are  the  parts  properly  related  ? 

Is  it  freakish,  or  awkward,  or  inartistic  ? 

Is  it  blocked,  or  indented,  or  extended  ? 
Is  it  pleasing  in  proportion  and  setting  ? 
Does  the  first  paragraph  begin  ? 
Does  the  last  paragraph  conclude  ? 
Does    it     follow    thought    division     and 
development  ? 

Is  it  hackneyed  ? 

Is  it  highflown  or  ornate  ? 

Is  it  generic  rather  than  specific  ? 

Is  it  abstract    rather    than    concrete    and 

connotative  ? 
Is  it  stilted,  or  inexact,  or  undignified,  or 

extravagant  ? 

Are  they  correct  grammatically  ? 
Are  they  vague,  or  ambiguous,  or  obscure  ? 
Are  they  smooth,  varied,  and  euphonious  ? 
Do    they    follow    up    consecutively    and 

coherently  ? 
Are  words,  phrases,   and  clauses  properly 

placed  ? 

Is  it  correct  ? 

Is  it  sometimes     correct     and     sometimes 

incorrect  ? 
Is  it  sometimes  simplified  and  sometimes 

conservative  ? 
Are  proper  names  spelled  with  care  and 

consideration  ? 
Are  words  intimate  to  the  business  of  the 

letter  misspelled  ? 

Is  it  open  or  closed  ? 

Is  it  consistent  ? 

Are  the  parts  properly  punctuated  ? 

Is  the  comma  used  accurately  ? 

Is  punctuation  kept  at  a  minimum  ? 

Is  it  clear  ? 

Is  it  unified  ? 

Is  it  readable  ? 

Does  it  evince  plan  ? 

Does  it  smack  of  form  or  routine  ? 

Is  it  negative  ? 

Is  it  I  or  we  or  you,  to  excess  ? 

Is  it  forceful  and  appropriate  ? 

Is  it  cordial  and  courteous  and  personal  ? 

Is  it  dignified  and  sincere  and  impressive  ? 


155 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


PRACTICE 

1.  Read  this  bad  letter,  and  study  the  extended  criticism  that 
follows  it.     Then  rewrite  the  letter  as  it  should  be. 


December  2,   1930 
Mr.  Henry  Turner, 
Tulsa, 

Oklahoma. 

Dear  Sir : — 

We   are   sending  the  following  to   you,   as  per  request.     We 
would  ask  that  you  let  us  know  immediately  on  receipt  of  goods — 

1  detachable  desk  lamp 

2  stove  lifters 

1  electric  heating  frame 

4  washers  for  electric  iron 

3  stove-pipe  rims 

2  bulbs  for  desk  lamp 

We  will  of  course  send  the  rest  of  the  heating  apparatus  as  soon 
as  the  remainder  of  the  articles  have  reached  us.  We  are  sorry  there 
was  some  delay  in  the  other  shipment  and  that  certain  goods  were 
not  received,  but  we  will  send  a  tracer  at  once,  which  we  hope  will 
result  to  your  entire  satisfaction. 

Yours  truly, 

Jones  and  Marshall. 


CRITICISM 

1.  Since  the  writer  has  evidently  intended  to  use  closed  punctuation,  he 
should  have  placed  a  period  after  1930  in  the  date  line. 

2.  The  colon  only  should  be  used  after  the  salutation.  It  is  better  not 
to  use  two  marks  of  punctuation  in  combination. 

3.  Inasmuch  as  Jones  and  Marshall  have  had  dealings  with  Mr.  Turner 
before  and  are  in  the  present  instance  under  obligation  to  him  for  a  new 
order  as  well  as  for  one  that  was  unsatisfactorily  filled,  they  should  use  Dear 
Mr.  Turner  :  as  the  salutation,  rather  than  the  cold  and  impersonal  Dear  Sir  : 

4.  There  should  be  a  colon  after  goods  at  the  end  of  the  first  paragraph, 
just  for  the  sake  of  punctuation  harmony.  Moreover,  it  is  better  practice 
in  combining  the  word  following  and  its  consequent  punctuation,  to  have 
both  in  the  same  sentence.  Where  this  is  not  done,  as  in  the  present  case, 
there  is  likely  to  be  a  breach  in  unity. 

156 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


5.  Tabulations  should  always  be  inserted  from  both  margins,  and  it 
is  better  usage  to  arrange  them  always  in  strict  bookkeeping  form. 
The  repetition  of  prices  of  individual  articles,  as  well  as  of  totals,  is 
always  recommended  for  the  sake  of  accuracy  and  the  avoidance  of 
misunderstanding. 

6.  In  all  tabulations,  articles  of  similar  character  should  be  grouped 
together.  Here  they  seem  to  be  set  down  higgledy-piggledy  with  no  regard 
whatever  for  proper  relationship.  When  a  graph  is  used  in  the  middle  of  a 
letter  for  purposes  of  tabulating,  it  beautifies  the  letter  copy. 

7.  The  letter  picture  is  altogether  out  of  harmony.  It  is  flat,  and  not  in 
keeping  with  the  shape  of  the  surface  on  which  it  appears.  The  paragraph 
margins  are  uneven,  and  they  are  out  of  alignment  with  every  other  margin 
in  the  letter.  The  complimentary  closing  should  start  on  a  margin  with  the 
date  line,  or  it  should  be  centered. 

8.  The  tone  of  the  letter  is  quite  selfish  and  inconsiderate.  Every  paragraph 
and  every  sentence  begins  with  we.  There  is  nothing  whatever  of  the  second- 
personal  attitude,  tho  the  last  sentence  indicates  that  there  was  a  situation 
amply  justifying  a  profitable  play-up  of  you. 

9.  The  arrangement  of  the  letter  is  bad.  It  is  sound  business  policy  to 
adjust  and  correct  claims  before  dealing  with  new  matter,  especially  when 
those  claims  entail  the  proper  satisfaction  of  custom.  Since  Jones  and 
Marshall  have  not  seen  fit  to  write  a  special  letter  devoted  entirely  to  the 
situation  mentioned  in  the  last  sentence,  the  least  they  can  do  is  to  make  this 
the  all-important  theme  of  the  present  two-subject  letter.  This  seems  to 
be  not  only  their  obligation,  but  their  opportunity  as  well. 

10.  The  auxiliary  will  is  twice  wrongly  used. 

11.  There  is  also  a  grammatical  error  in  the  first  sentence  of  the  last 
paragraph. 

12.  There  are  some  serious  and  deterrent  "  bromides  "  in  the  letter. 

13.  The  second  sentence  of  the  first  paragraph  is  domineering.  If  they 
want  a  reply  on  receipt  of  order,  why  not  enclose  a  stamped  addressed 
envelope  for  the  purpose  ?     They  will  get  a  freight  receipt. 

14.  The  last  sentence  of  the  letter  is  too  loose.  It  requires  reconstruction 
and  rephrasing. 

Etc. 

2.  Write  a  criticism  of  each  of  the  following  bad  letters.  Then 
rewrite  each  according  to  better  standards  Consult  the  lists  on 
pages  144  to  155  in  doing  this  work. 

December  16,   1920. 
Mr.  Thompson  Ellis,  Esq, 
3114  5  Ave. 
New  York  ;    N.Y. 

My  dear  sir ; 

We  have  your  letter  of  15  inst  and  would  say  in  reply  thereto 
that  the  securities  held  by  you  in  this  bank  are  insufficient  to  cover 
the  accommodation  which  you  request, 

157 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


I  beg  to  suggest  that  we  would  be  convenienced  if  you  would 
let  us  hear  from  you  at  once  as  to  desirable  method  of  procedure  in 
order  to  meet  this  inadequacy.  The  addresses  you  ask  for  are 
344  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland,  133  Penn  Street,  Pittsburg,  16  Erie 
Avenue,  Cleveland,  and  215  Market  Street,  Phila.,  Pa, 

We  do  not  understand  your  reference  to  Steel  Common.  We 
tried  getting  a  block  for  you  and  to  secure  it  at  the  lowest  possible 
rate,  and  so  we  seem  to  have  done  our  part.  I  enclose  the  circular 
you  asked  for  in  your  esteemed  favor. 

Thanking  you  for  the  privilege  of  being  of  service  to  you, 
and,  in  advance,  for  any  further  favors  we  may  have  it  within  our 
powers  to  render. 

Very  Truly  Yours 


OCR  .  .  .  PDQ 


Podunk  National  Bank, 
p.p.     CCR 


Miss  Tonya,  formerly  with  Bronson  Janes  and  Company,  takes 
pleasure  in  announcing  that  she  has  leased  the  store  adjoining  her 
well  known  beauty  parlor  at  the  above  address,  where  she  is  presenting 
exclusive  lines  of  lingerie,  hosiery,  gloves,  and  old  laces,  all  of  the  most 
exclusive  and  latest  importations.  She  embraces  this  opportunity  of 
extending  her  thanks  for  the  patronage  with  which  she  has  been 
favored  in  the  past,  and  invites  inspection  of  the  new  lines  of  goods, 
the  quality  and  designs  of  which,  as  well  as  the  moderate  prices  and 
good  values,  cannot  fail  to  appeal  to  the  fine  tastes  of  her  many 
customers. 


We  take  pleasure  in  introducing  true  style  in  its  most  fascinating 
and  artistic  expressions  ;  style  of  a  type  that  elevates  up  and  beyond 
the  common-place — such  are  the  new  modes  which  we  offer  on  suits, 
dresses,  wraps,  and  furs  for  fall  of  1930.  Our  creeds  are  not  merely 
to  make  sales,  but  to  be  introduced  ;  not  only  to  quote  attractive 
prices,  but  to  give  greater  values  than  conditions  permit.  A  visit 
to  our  establishment  will  convince  you.  Assuring  you  of  every 
courtesy  and  attention,  we  remain 


Our  Mr.  Blanton  called  at  the  Collins  State  Bank,  Asheville, 
a  few  days  ago  and  learned  from  Mr.  Day  that  there  is  a  possibility  of 
your  making  a  change  in  the  Boston  connection  of  that  institution. 

158 


THE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  BUSINESS  LETTER 


Mr.  Day  said  that,  before  coming  to  any  decision,  he  wished  to 
discuss  this  matter  with  you,  and,  because  of  our  long  and  pleasant 
relations  with  your  bank,  we  are  taking  the  liberty  of  asking  for  your 
favorable  consideration,  as  we  should  very  much  value  the  privilege 
of  doing  business  with  your  affiliated  institutions  also. 

We  believe  that  we  are  in  a  position  to  render  very  complete 
banking  service  and  would  certainly  do  everything  in  our  power  to 
make  a  connection  with  the  Collins  State  Bank  just  as  valuable  to  them  as 
possible.  In  the  event  that  the  Howard  Loan  Company  also  considered 
it  an  advantage  to  have  a  Boston  connection,  we  should  be  pleased  to 
have  the  new  relationship  include  that  institution. 

Hoping  for  a  favorable  decision  and  congratulating  you  on 
your  progress,  which  is  certainly  evidenced  by  the  increased  deposits 
and  the  handsome  new  quarters  which  the  bank  is  now  occupying, 
I  am 


We  regret  that  the  stationery  was  received  by  you  too  late  and 
in  poor  condition.  When  we  received  your  first  letter  on  December 
15  we  immediately  took  the  matter  up  with  the  engraver  requesting 
that  he  rush  the  order.  Up  until  the  day  we  received  the  stationery 
(December  23)  we  were  constantly  asking  for  a  report  from  the  engraver, 
but  he  said  that  the  die  that  had  to  be  made  special  was  delayed  largely 
by  the  Christmas  rush.  The  stationery  was  sent  you  via  parcel  post 
special  delivery  on  December  23  hoping  it  might  reach  you  in  time 
to  be  of  use. 

We  ask  you  not  to  return  the  stationery  to  us  but  to  make 
whatever  use  you  can  of  it.  We  have  this  day  credited  your  account 
to  the  amount  of  $1.05  which  is  the  charge  on  stationery  and  marking. 
Would  it  be  possible  for  you  to  make  use  of  the  die  at  any  future 
time  ?     The  price  of  this  die  is  $1.50. 

We  thank  you  for  the  kind  consideration  shown  us  in  your 
letter  as  regards  our  service.'  We  assure  you  that  we  are  always  glad 
to  do  anything  possible  to  adjust  matters  of  this  kind  and  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 


159 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


BUSINESS    LETTER   SERVICE 

Boston  New  York  Philadelphia  Chicago 


September  25,  1930. 

Misses  Orr  and  Smith, 
325  Eighth  Avenue, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Ladies: 

This  style  of  letter  set-up,  widely  used  for  many 
years,  is  now  rapidly  giving  way  to  the  blocked  form. 

One  paragraph  signal  is,  or'should  be,  sufficient  in 
any  kind  of  composition.  Only  one  is  used,  as  a  rule,  in 
books  and  other  printed  materials.  But  in  this  letter,  para- 
graphs are  signaled  by  means  of  indention  and  spacing  both. 

In  very  early  days  paragraphs  were  indicated  by  a 
sign.  Later,  this  sign  fell  out  of  use,  and  the  device  of 
indention  was  employed  to  indicate  paragraphing.  Still 
later,  both  the  space  and  the  indention  were  used  for 
paragraph  partitioning. 

But  the  blocked  form  is  now  taking  precedence 
everywhere,  as  it  deserves  to  do,  for  it  is  more  logical, 
more  beautiful,  and  more  convenient  than  any  other  form 

Very  truly  yours, 


^  /^  ^  i^'^-'r^u^ 


John  B.  Opdycke. 


JBO:EV 


160 


CHAPTER  III 
SELLING  PERSONAL  EFFICIENCY  BY  LETTER 

Ij  you'd  for  a  job  apply, 

Sell  yourself. 
Use  some  good  strong  reason-why, 

Sell  yourself. 
Estimate  your  merits  high, 
BUT — don't  aviate  the  "J" 
Till  it  hits  the  bloomin'  sky — 

Quell  yourself  ! 

Every  man  is  a  salesman.  Every  man  is  a  prospect  and  a  buyer. 
Every  man  is  on  occasion  called  upon  to  sell  himself  to  others — 
his  abilities,  his  services,  his  personality.  And  every  man  is  in 
turn  called  upon  to  buy  personal  efficiency  in  the  form  of  individual 
capacity  and  attainment.  If  every  letter  is  a  sales -letter,  then  the 
letter  that  sells  personal  quahties  is  the  most  delicate  and  self- 
conscious  type  of  sales  letter.  If  every  letter  is  a  credit  letter, 
then  the  letter  that  credits  personal  attributes  is  the  most  sensitive 
type  of  credit  letter. 

When  a  man  applies  by  letter  for  a  job,  he  is  selling  personal 
efficiency.  When  he  applies  for  membership  in  a  club,  he  is 
likewise  selling  himself.  When  the  manager  of  a  team  applies  to 
have  his  organization  entered  in  some  competition,  he  is  selling 
the  merits  and  ambitions  of  his  team.  When  a  firm  applies  for 
membership  in  some  business  association,  it  is  selling  its  claims 
and  capabilities  to  the  association.  When  a  nation  applies  for 
membership  in  the  League  of  Nations,  it  is  selling  its  own  national 
and  political  ideals  and  aspirations  to  the  Allied  Council. 

By  exactly  the  same  liberal  interpretation  of  the  term  sales- 
manship, the  man  who  directly  recommends  a  friend,  an  idea,  a 
service,  a  commodity  to  another,  is  selling  that  friend,  that  idea, 
that  service,  that  commodity.  The  man  who  indirectly  recom- 
mends one  friend  to  another,  is  for  the  time  being  a  salesman  of 
that  friend's  qualifications.  The  man  who  introduces  one  friend 
to  another,  with  a  view  of  advancing  that  friend's  interests,  is 
similarly  a  salesman.  Any  man  who  speaks  or  writes  in  behalf 
of  the  interests  of  another,  is  ipso  facto  an  advertiser  and  a  salesman. 
Indeed,  if  personal  and  friendly  letters,  even,  were  written  more 
frequently  from  the  liberal  sales  point  of  view,  there  would  be  a 
vast  improvement  in   the  general  correspondence  of  this  world. 

161 

11— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


The  most  difficult  problem  in  any  letter  that  must  necessarily 
feature  the  writer  in  connection  with  some  position  6t  membership 
alliance,  is  the  problem  of  subordinating  the  /  or  the'ze;^  tone. 
Such  a  letter  must  to  some  extent  be  a  subjective  one.  The  author 
writes  about  himself,  and  is  thus  confronted  with  the  danger  of 
appearing  conceited  and  egotistical.  This  can  be  obviated  in  many 
instances  by  listing  qualifications  seriatim,  in  itemized  and  tabulai 
forms  (see  pages  170,  173).  It  can  also  be  avoided  by  means  of 
writing  entirely,  or  as  largely  as  possible,  from  the  you  point  of 
view.  The  writer  should  try  to  fit  himself  in  to  the  environment 
and  the  psychology  of  the  one  whom  he  addresses.  In  some  cases, 
he  may  be  able  to  employ  the  third  personal  note  thruout  such  a 
letter.  As  in  the  sales  letter  per  se,  he  must  adapt  and  "  other." 
As  in  the  credit  letter  per  se,  he  must  use  tact  and  restraint  and 
sound  judgment. 

The  letter  of  application  should  be  direct,  but  not  blunt  or  abrupt. 
It  should  be  vivid,  but  not  forward  or  flippant.  It  should  be 
complete,  but  not  lengthy  or  monotonous.  The  following  seven 
points  may  well  be  kept  in  mind  by  the  writer  who  attempts  to 
sell  personal  efficiency  by  means  of  letters,  whether  indirectly  thru 
the  medium  of  hearsay  or  advertisement,  or  directly  thru  addressing 
a  definite  individual.  Needless  to  /say,  the  direct  address  is 
invariably  more  advantageous  than  the  indirect. 

1.  Establish  connection 

Tell  at  the  outset  what  you  are  writing  about  and  how  you 
conceived  the  idea  of  writing.  There  was  some  spur  or  impulse — 
a  suggestion,  a  rumor,  an  advertisement,  a  period  of  contemplation, 
a  change  of  circumstances.  Make  the  first  paragraph  the  key  to 
your  letter,  but  do  this  without  the  employment  of  hackneyed 
forms  of  expression.  You  will  make  a  good  impression  if  you  let 
the  reader  know  at  once  why  you  are  writing  him.  You  will  make 
a  bad  impression  if  you  open  with  a  "  bromide."     • 

2.  Follow  a  definite  plan 

It  pays  in  all  departments  of  business  to  let  people  see  that  you 
have  a  methodical  way  of  doing  things.  It  is  itself  a  big  sales 
point.  If  you  are  replying  to  an  advertisement,  follow  in  order 
the  points  of  the  advertisement.  If  you  are  applying  for  member- 
ship in  some  organization,  state  your  claims  for  consideration  in 

162 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY  BY   LETTER 


orderly  and  coherent  arrangement.  The  items  in  letters  of  applica- 
tion are  frequently  condensed  on  cards  for  future  reference.  Make 
the  work  of  the  compiler  of  such  data  easy  by  ordering  and  grouping 
your  s^es  points. 

3.  Adapt  your  qualifications 

Feature  those  qualifications  that  are  especially  marketable  in 
connection  with  the  position  for  which  you  are  applying.  Or  show 
exactly  how  the  character  of  your  company  is  especially  adapted 
to  the  purpose  of  the  association  in  which  membership  is  solicited. 
If  you  are  applying  for  a  position  as  bookkeeper,  your  experience 
in  this  capacity  with  a  large  commercial  house,  of  course,  deserves 
fuller  treatment  than  your  gifts  and  aptitudes  and  experience  in 
other  lines  of  work.  Focus  and  proportion  your  appeals  in  relation 
to  the  immediate  situation  which  your  letter  is  written  to  meet 

4.  Group  and  classify  references 

It  frequently  happens  that  more  than  one  kind  of  reference  must 
be  given  in  such  letters  as  those  under  consideration.  There  may 
be  bank  references,  business  references,  professional  references, 
personal  references,  experience  references,  educational  references, 
and  still  others.  Naturally,  the  different  classes  should  be  clearly 
indicated,  and  the  kind  of  reference  each  is  best  qualified  to  give 
should  be  specified.  You  will  embarrass  the  persons  and  the  firms 
referred  to,  when  they  are  asked  to  write  in  your  behalf,  unless 
they  are  told  exactly  in  what  relationship  they  are  expected  to 
recommend  you.  It  might  do  your  application  actual  harm  if 
one  of  your  references  wrote  as  follows  :  "  We  know  nothing  of 
Mr.  A's  qualities  as  a  copy  man.  He  worked  for  us  only  in  the 
capacity  of  a  stenographer." 

5.  Visualize  the  situation 

Imagine  yourself  in  the  position  for  which  you  are  applying. 
Imagine  yourself  an  active  member  of  the  club  in  which  you  apply 
for  membership.  Imagine  your  firm  actively  engaged  in  the 
activities  of  the  association  with  which  it  seeks  to  be  allied.  Such 
dramatization  properly  handled  will  do  much  to  eliminate  the 
sensitive  and  self-conscious  quality  from  the  letter  situation.  It 
will  enable  the  writer  to  obviate  the  /  or -the  we  tone,  and  will 
vivify   the  movement   in   those   letters   that  lend  themselves   to 

163 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


egotistical  and  mechanical  and  monotonous  style.  Letters  that 
sell  personal  efficiency  particularly  need  life,  and  life  in  abundance — 
but  life  that  connates  control  and  reserve  power. 

6.  Be  exact  and  precise 

You  have  a  direct,  personal  interest  in  the  impression  your 
personal  efficiency  letter  makes.  See  to  it,  therefore,  that  it  is 
flawless  in  form,  exact  in  statement,  precise  in  diction  and  grammar. 
It  is  unwise  to  attempt  the  novel  or  the  unusual  in  a  letter  of  this 
kind ;  it  is  similarly  unsafe  to  allow  the  letter  form  to  appear 
loose  and  slovenly.  Never  place  detached  enclosures  in  such  a 
letter.  Attach  stamps  and  recommendations  and  photographs  to 
the  letter  sheet  itself,  or  enclose  them  in  an  envelope  and  clip  it 
to  the  letter  sheet.  Afrange  recommendations  in  the  order  in 
which  you  wish  to  have  them  considered.  It  may  be  a  good 
thing  to  paste  a  small  photograph  on  an  upper  corner  of  the  letter 
sheet.  If  a  keyed  advertisement  is  being  answered,  it  may  be. 
well  to  paste  it  at  the  place  usually  occupied  by  the  inside  address. 
Here,  again,  the  one  who  receives  a  personal  efficiency  letter  will 
be  favorably  impressed  by  exactness  and  precision  in  attention  to 
details.     They  are  salable  qualities. 

7.  Start  right.    Close  right 

"  Your  advertisement  for  a  private  secretary  interests  me  greatly," 
is  a  much  more  attractive  letter  opening  than  "  In  reply  to  your 
advertisement  for  a  private  secretary."  "  Membership  in  the 
Advertising  League  has  always  been  one  of  the  prime  ambitions  of 
the  Jones-Smith  Company,"  is  likewise  a  better  beginning  than 
"  Please  consider  application  of  the  Jones-Smith  Company  for 
membership  in  the  Advertising  League."  The  first  in  each  case 
is  vivid  and  "  different."  The  second  is  dead  and  stereotyped, 
and  it  has  no  "  follow  on  "  appeal.  "  Perhaps  you  will  allow  me 
to  call  at  your  convenience  ?  "  is  a  much  more  impressive  and 
therefore  better  closing  than  "  Hoping  you  will  consider  my  applica- 
tion favorably."  "  We'd  like  very  much  to  be  cooperating  with 
you  in  the  extraordinary  work  that  the  Advertising  League  is 
doing,"  is  likewise  a  better  closing  than  "  Trusting  that  our 
application  will  be  favorably  acted  upon."  Here,  again,  the  first 
in  each  case  is  fresh  and  live  and  stimulating ;  whereas  the  second 
is  deadly  uninteresting  and  hackneyed. 

164 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY  BY   LETTER 

The  letter  of  application  should  be  regarded  as  in  some  sense  an 
entrance  upon  a  competition — a  competition  in  both  form  and 
content.  It  is  really  one  of  many  entries  in  a  game.  If  something 
of  this  spirit  of  contest  can  be  realized  by  the  writer,  the  chances 
are  his  letter  will  take  on,  to  his  advantage,  a  more  vital  and 
intensified  characteristic.  The  fittest  letter  will  survive  in  the 
perpetual  struggle  of  personal  efficiency  to  reach  the  top. 

And  the  personal  efficiency  letter  written  in  behalf  of  another 
is  no  different  in  kind,  tho  it  may  be  somewhat  different  in  degree 
from  that  written  for  and  by  one's  self.  The  general  principles 
above  outlined  apply  to  the  one  as  to  the  other.  A  man  may 
have — probably  has — keener  motives  and  impulses  in  selling  his 
own  services  than  in  selling  other  people's.  But  it  not  infrequently 
occurs  that  he  is  able  to  speak  but  awkwardly  and  diffidently  when 
he  attempts  to  recommend  himself,  while  he  glows  with  enthusiasm 
and  eloquence  in  recommending  a  friend. 

There  are  two  general  types  of  letters  of  recommendation.  One 
is  written  personally  to  a  certain  individual,  and  has  therefore — 
or  may  have — an  intimate  quality.  The  other  is  a  general  com- 
munication, addressed  "  To  whom  it  may  concern,"  and  accordingly 
phrased  in  less  specific  and  confidential  terms. 

Honesty  and  justice  of  attitude  should  be  jealously  guarded  by 
him  who  would  write  a  recommendation  of  genuine  value.  Unfor- 
tunately such  is  not  always  the  attitude  and,  as  a  consequence, 
letters  of  recommendation  have  fallen  into  some  disrepute.  Some 
firms  place  no  reliance  upon  them  and  do  not  require  them  of 
applicants.  Others  accept  them  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  at  about 
fifty  per  cent  discount.  Others,  however,  consider  them  thoroly, 
and  are  guided  in  large  measure  by  them.  Many  firms  prepare 
their  own  testimonial  questionnaires,  which  are  used  in  following 
up  references.  These  questionnaires  are  so  constructed  as  to  meet 
the  particular  needs  of  the  firms  that  use  them,  and  always  afford 
special  opportunity  for  the  reference  to  go  beyond  mere  yes  or 
no  replies  to  questions.  Positions  of  trust  are,  as  a  rule,  to  be 
secured  only  after  such  questionnaires  are  thoroly  examined.  In 
some  cases  the  questionnaire  is  used  as  a  voucher,  carries  data  as 
to  bond,  and  is  sworn  to  before  a  notary. 

It  is  as  wrong  to  overestimate  as  to  underestimate,  in  writing 
a  recommendation.     In  case  the  writer  of  a  recommendation  is 

165 


BUSINESS  LETTER   PRACTICE 


uncertain  about  the  qualifications  of  the  one  who  has  referred  to 
him,  he  will  do  well,  of  course,  to  restrain  himself,  no  matter  how 
much  he  may  like  the  person  he  is  called  upon  to  recommend. 
Theie  is  frequently  too  much  at  stake  in  a  recommendation  for  a 
writer  to  permit  himself  to  write  from  the  heart  rather  than  from 
the  head.  Business  recommendations  should  be  reason-why  docu- 
ments, not  human  interest.  Business  is  not  charity.  The  following 
sestet  comments  somewhat  tersely  upon  the  method  that  should 
guide  in  the  writing  of  a  recommendation  : 

The  height  of  essentials 

Mongst  business  credentials. 
Is  a  personal  recommendation  ; 

So  write  it  exactly. 

In  full,  yet  compactly, 
Neither  minus  nor  plus  estimation. 

Letters  written  in  testimony  of  some  commodity  or  some  service, 
by  some  one  who  has  been  pleased  with  the  one  or  the  other,  are 
frequently  used  by  advertisers  and  salespeople,  for  the  purpose  of 
fortifying  reputation  and,  thus,  increasing  sales.  So  used,  they 
are  sometimes  referred  to  as  testimonial  copy.  They  may  also  be 
called  impersonal  letters  of  recommendation.  They  may  be 
solicited  from  people  of  prominence  by  the  firm  for  whom  they  are 
written,  or  they  may  be  written  voluntarily  by  customers  who  have 
been  satisfied  to  the  point  of  enthusiasm  in  their  dealings  with 
a  house,  or  in  their  experience  with  merchandise.  A  testimonial 
letter,  as  a  rule,  constitutes  the  strongest  kind  of  reason-why 
copy.  As  used  for  publicity  purposes  it  is  very  often  quoted  in 
part  or  in  toto  in  another  letter  calling  attention  to  its  chief  points. 
When  this  letter-within-letter  testimonial  copy  is  used,  the  testi- 
mony quoted  is  usually  set  up  in  different  type  or  set  apart 
mechanically  from  the  main  body  of  the  letter.  When  the  letter 
of  testimony  is  used  alone  without  re-enforcement  letter  copy 
written  around  it,  it  is  usually  reproduced  in  full  with  heading, 
signature,  and  other  letter  parts.  In  case  a  number  of  testimonial 
quotations  are  listed  anon5miously  in  a  sales  letter,  it  is  well  to 
remember  that  each  quotation  should  be  placed  in  quotation 
marks,  unless  type  display  makes  a  sufficient  partition  of  quota- 
tions. There  are  a  few  good  specimens  of  testimonial  letters  among 
the  illustrative  letters  given  at  the  end  of  this  chapter.  There  are 
many  others  to  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  chapter  on  sales  letters. 

166 


SELLING   PERSONAL  EFFICIENCY  BY   LETTER 


The  introduction  is  sometimes  combined  with  the  recommenda- 
tion, either  special  or  general.  It  should  be  opened  with  the  intro- 
duction proper  and  the  reason  it  is  made.  It  may  then  proceed 
with  a  brief  explanation  of  the  one  introduced,  his  work  and 
interests,  and  make  any  requests  that  are  in  order  (see  page  182). 

The  general  recommendation  introduction  may  appropriately 
conclude  with  "  Any  favors  you  may  be  able  to  extend  to  Mr. 
(the  one  introduced)  will  be  greatly  appreciated  by  us."  This 
form  is,  however,  passing,  for  it,  too,  has  been  overused.  The 
following  introductory  cards  carry  somewhat  more  uptodate  and 
refreshing  forms  of  introductions.  In  case  the  face  of  the  card  is 
too  small  to  hold  all  of  the  introductory  message,  it  may  be  written 
on  the  back.  The  card  of  introduction  should  carry  three  names  : 
the  one  introduced,  the  one  introduced  to,  the  one  introducing. 
The  name  of  the  last  stands,  of  course,  in  print  or  engraving. 


Face  of  card. 


Mr.  Theodore  Hepburn 

Introducing 

Mr.  James  Carey 

to 
Mr.  Thomas  Bowers 


/ 

Reverse 

of  card. 

Thanking  you, 

Mr. 

Bowers, 

for 

any 

personal 

attentions    you  • 

may 

be    able 

to 

extend 

to 

Mr. 

Carey. 

T.  H 

• 

167 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Face  of  card. 


Mr 

.  James  R. 

Robinson 

Introducing 

to 

Mr. 

Harold 

Gather 

Mr. 

Edward 

Fisher 

Reverse  of  card. 


Dear  Mr.  Gather  : 

Mr.  Fisher  is 

interested  in 

your 

collection 

system.      Gan 
understanding 
Thank  you. 

you  assist  him  to  a  general 
of  it  ? 

Cordially  yours, 

James  R. 

Robinson 

March  24. 

Face  of  card. 


Mr.  Alexander  Bassin 

Introduced  by 

Mr.  Harry  Widger 

to 

Mr.  GoHn  Pulleyn 

Mr.  Bassin's  message  merits  your  considera- 
tion.  I  hope  you  will  give  him  a  hearing. 

M.  W. 

168 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY  BY   LETTER 


Face  of 

card. 

Introducing 
Mr 

Thomas  Meighan 
to 
Mr.  Leo  Thaler 

Mr 

.  John  B 

.  Ogden 

We 
Mr. 

are   interested    in   having 
Meighan  for  his  own  sake. 

you 

meet 
JBO      - 

From  this  point  on,  many  illustrative  letters  are  supplied  for 
dictation,  discussion,  and  analysis.  These  letters  have  not  been 
built  to  fit  theory,  but  have  been  drawn  from  actual  practice  in 
the  different  fields  of  business  letter  writing.  They  are  not  offered 
in  any  single  case  as  "  perfection's  model."  Those  who  wrote 
and  contributed  them  to  this  volume  would  be  the  last  to  wish 
them  called  perfect  in  their  respective  fields.  But  these  letters 
do  represent  actual  business  letter  experience,  and,  except  where 
the  caption  comment  indicates  otherwise,  they  represent  a  certain 
satisfactory  degree  of  business  letter  success.  It  may  prove  inter- 
esting to  measure  each  letter  by  the  scale  graphed  on  page  51 ,  and 
by  the  exposition  set  forth  following  this  scale  in  Chapter  II. 
Students  must  remember,  however,  that  the  individual  letter 
frequently  defies  close  classification.  An  order  letter  may  constitute 
excellent  sales  argument ;  a  letter  of  recommendation  usually 
does.  A  letter  of  adjustment  may  quite  naturally  deal  with  the 
subject  of  collection  :  a  letter  of  credit  information  frequently 
takes  the  form  of  positive  recommendation.     And  so  forth. 

The  body  only  of  each  illustrative  letter  is  reproduced,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  on  this  part  that  special  drill  and  study  are  required  from 
this  point  on.  The  other  formal  parts  of  the  letter  have  been  so 
thoroly  discussed  in  Chapter  I,  and  so  fully  illustrated  by  facsimile 
reproduction  in  various  places  in  the  book,  that  it  would  be  wasteful 
of  space  to  reproduce  more  than  four  hundred  fifty  illustrative 
letters  in  toto.  It  may  be  well  for  the  student  to  keep  in  mind  the 
fact,  that  the  book  page  does  not  permit  of  perfect  proportions  in 
the  picturization  of  the  letter,  as  explained  in  Chapter  I.     Here, 

169 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


again,  the  photographed  reproductions  of  letters  at  various  places 
in  the  book  will  have  to  guide.  The  illustrative  letters  placed  at  the 
conclusion  of  textual  matter  are  for  the  study  of  letter  composition, 
and  that  alone. 


A   well-arranged  and  explicitly  stated 
application  for  a  position. 


Your  advertisement  in  the  morning  Times  for  a 
clerical  assistant  interests  me. 

My  experience  has  been  of  tlie  kind  called  for  by 
the  advertisement  : 

One  year  as  accountant  with 

Brown  and  Ferguson 
231  Adelphi  Street 
Chicago 

Two  years  as  bookkeeper  with 

The  Townley  Company 
45  Park  Terrace 
Cleveland 

I  am  a  graduate  of  the  Appleton  Business  College, 
and  have  recently  completed  a  business  course  at 
the  Northwestern  School  of  Commerce.  Last  year  I 
passed  the  Illinois  C.P.A.  examination. 

My  references,  by  permission,  are  : 

The  two  companies  above  mentioned. 

Harold  S.  Townes,  Esq. 
25  State  Street 
Chicago 

James  J.  Jenkinson,  Esq. 
1811  Euclid  Avenue 
Cleveland 

I  am  twenty-five,  unmarried,  and  of  American 
parentage. 

If  my  qualifications  are  such  as  would  make  me  a  likely 
candidate  for  the  position  you  have  to  offer,  I  shall 
be  glad  to  call  to  talk  with  you  at  your  convenience. 


170 


SELLING   PERSONAL  EFFICIENCY  BY  LETTER 


A  rather  too  eager  application,  perhaps,  yet 
one  that  beams  with  ambition  and  sincerity. 


Won't  you  let  me  help  you  ? 

That  ad  of  yours  in  the  morning  World  puts  me  on 
my  mettle — makes  me  want  to  get  right  down  to 
work  at  the  job  I've  been  dreaming  of  ever  since  I 
left  school. 

Here's  my  record  : 

Graduate  of  the  Cook  School,  of  which  I 
believe  the  manager  of  your  company  is 
a  trustee. 

Since  graduation,  two  years  ago,  I  have  been 
employed  in  the  publicity  department  of 
the  Neal  National  Bank. 

Not  much  of  it,  I  admit.     Still,  you  may  consult 
Mr.  Albert  Warren 
Publicity  Department 
Neal  National  Bank 
Memphis,  Tenn. 

about  me.  I  think  he  will  tell  you  that  I  have  made 
a  good  showing  for  myself  in  his  department  at  the 
bank. 

I  am  tremendously  interested  in  advertising,  and 
want  to  become  identified  with  industrial  advertising 
before  I  get  very  much  older.  I  am  now  twenty. 
Bank  publicity  work  appeals  to  me,  of  course.  And 
I  have  learned  a  great  deal  about  it.  But  it  is  a  more 
or  less  limited  field,  and  by  no  means  offers  as  yet 
the  opportunities  that  are  offered  by  the  broader 
and  more  active  fields  of  industr3^ 

So  I'd  like  to  come  to  you,  if  you  will  consider  me. 
Mr.  Warren  knows  of  my  ambitions,  and  will  permit 
me  to  step  over  to  your  offices  for  an  interview 
whenever  it  suits  you  best  to  see  me. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  enclosing  a  piece  of  copy  I 
constructed  last  week  for  our  new  savings  department. 
With  very  few  corrections,  I  understand  it  is  to  be 
used  in  all  the  local  papers  when  our  campaign  opens 
next  month. 


171 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  strong  application  for  a  high-class 
position. 


I  understand  that  you  are  looking  for  a  private 
secretary,  one  who  has  had  not  only  a  sound  education 
but  a  wide  and  varied  experience  in  secretarial  work. 
Will  you  consider  me,  please,  in  the  light  of  the 
following  ? 

For  the  past  three  years  I  have  served  as  private 
secretary  of  Mr.  James  A.  Rockefeller,  whom  you 
know  well,  and  whose  public  work  has  been  heralded 
all  over  the  country.  It  has  been  my  privilege  to 
serve  Mr.  Rockefeller  in  connection  with  all  of  his 
many  activities.  He  is,  as  you  know,  chairman  of  a 
dozen  business  boards,  and  of  almost  as  many  chari- 
table committees  and  trusteeships.  I  have  traveled 
with  him  thruout  the  country  on  his  various  speaking 
tours,  and  on  three  different  occasions  I  accompanied 
him  to  Europe. 

This  association  with  a  great  man  has  been  a  liberal 
education  for  me.  It  has  always  entailed  close  and 
guarded  protection  of  the  man  and  his  interests, 
oftentimes  in  very  acute  situations.  It  has  meant 
that  I  have  many  times  been  obliged  to  act  as  a 
diplomatic  go-between  when  persistent  callers  have 
been  urgent  and  vociferous.  And  it  has  meant,  of 
course,  that  I  supervise  Mr.  Rockefeller's  enormous 
correspondence,  direct  sometimes  a  half  dozen  steno- 
graphers, get  off  seventy-letters  a  day  when  the 
"  chief  "  is  going  at  high  pressure,  and  act  as  man- 
of-all-work  on  those  occasions  when  temperaments 
tamper  with  routine,  as  they  will  sometimes  do  in 
the  best  regulated  families. 

Incidentally,  I  am  a  graduate  of  Cornell  University, 
and  have  in  addition  the  B.C.S.  degree  from  New 
York  University.  I  am  able  to  take  dictation  in 
French,  Spanish,  and  German,  and  transcribe  rapidly 
into  English.  But  my  principal  qualifications,  I 
submit,  are  those  referred  to  above. 

As  you  have  doubtless  read,  Mr.  Rockefeller  is  now 

[Contd.  on  p.  173 

172 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY  BY   LETTER 


Contd.  from  p.  172] 

leaving  for  Europe  on  a  diplomatic  mission  that  may 
detain  him  there  for  several  years.  He  wants  me  to  go 
along  with  him,  but  for  the  very  best  of  domestic 
reasons  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  do  so.  I  must 
therefore  seek  a  new  position  here  in  America,  and 
while  Mr.  Rockefeller  is  kind  enough  to  say  that  for 
purely  selfish  reasons  he  dislikes  to  recommend  me  to 
any  one  else,  he  will  nevertheless  be  glad  to  tell  you 
about  me,  if  you  are  interested. 

I  can  arrange  to  call  for  an  interview  at  almost  any 
time  during  your  office  hours.  Mr.  Rockefeller  leaves 
for  Europe  on  the  fifteenth  of  the  month. 


A  very  thorogoing  letter  oj  application 
that  rings  sincere  and  earnest  in  every 
word. 


You  have  interested  me  with  your  advertisement  in 
the  October  Printers'  Ink. 

I  shall  now  try  to  interest  you  in  my  application  for 
the  position  you  have  to  offer. 

My  Experience  : 

One  year  as  bookkeeper  with  the  Brown-Lee 
Company. 

Two  years  as  traveling  auditor  with  the  Shipman 
Corporation. 

Two  years  as  statistician  with  the  Curtis  Sales 
Promotion  Company. 

At  present,  and  for  the  past  year  and  a  half,  organ- 
izer and  manager  of  a  new  system  of  accounting 
that  I  installed  for  the  Bennett-Leary  Merchan- 
dising Corporation. 

[Contd.  on  p.  174 

173 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Contd.  from  p.  173] 

On  the  accompanying  sheet  I  am  furnishing  you  with 
the  exact  name  and  address  of  the  executive  manager 
of  each  of  these  companies,  and  if  you  are  interested  in 
me  from  the  angle  of  business  experience,  I  shall  be 
glad  to  have  you  address  all  of  them.  They  will 
recommend  me  to  your  satisfaction,  I  am  sure.  My 
present  employers  are  aware  that  I  want  to  make  a 
change,  and  will  tell  you  frankly  that,  while  they  are 
sorry  to  lose  me,  they  know  that  I  have  outgrown 
my  present  position. 


Additional  qualifications  : 

I  am  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin, 
and  have  done  postgraduate  work  in  the  School 
of  Business  Administration,  Harvard  University. 

I  am  able  to  lead  men  and  women,  and  to  inspire 
them  with  enthusiasm  for  the  work  I  happen  to 
be  directing.  I  can  organize  them  for  service, 
adjust  them  for  detail  and  routine,  and  educate 
them  in  new  ways  of  doing  things. 

I  am  moral,  temperate,  energetic,  and  physically 
strong  and  vigorous.  I  am  thirty-four  years  old, 
married,  and  happy.  At  present  I  am  earning 
$7500.  annually.  Tho  your  advertisement  does 
not  ask  for  "  salary  expected,"  I  feel  that  it  is 
only  fair  for  me  to  say,  modestly  and  becomingly 
I  hope,  that  I  have  been  told  that  I  am  a  $10,000. 
man.  However,  the  matter  of  remuneration  will 
take  care  of  itself,  as  it  always  does,  if  other 
things  are  all  right. 

You  will  pardon  this  somewhat  excessive  /,  please.  It 
is  used  in  an  effort  to  be  comprehensive  and  confiden- 
tial, not  at  all  by  way  of  a  desire  to  talk  about  myself 
in  the  first-personal. 

If  this  letter  indicates  to  you  that  I  am  the  man  for  the 
place,  I  shall  be  glad  to  call  to  talk  with  you.  But  it  is, 
perhaps,  only  fair  to  add,  that  I  do  not  want  to  under- 
take any  job  in  which  I  cannot  get  results  for  my 
employers. 


174 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY   BY   LETTER 


The  local  commercial  club  receives  an 
application  for  membership  from  a 
firm  of  good  standing. 


We  have  long  contemplated  membership  in  the 
Lansing  Commercial  Club,  with  a  view,  of  course,  of 
availing  ourselves  of  the  many  benefits  the  club  has  to 
offer,  but  also  with  the  hope  that  we  may  ourselves  be 
able  to  contribute  something  in  return  to  the  club. 

The  corporation  qualifications  for  membership  per- 
tain, we  understand,  to  capitalization,  annual  adver- 
tising appropriations,  and  institutional  activity  in 
social  and  civic  and  educational  affairs.  The  enclosed 
statement  for  our  fiscal  year  ending  March  1  will 
explain  to  you  our  financial  standing  and  our 
advertising  policies. 

As  to  our  interest  in  social,  civic,  and  educational 
affairs,  we  should  like  to  call  your  attention  to  the 
following  : 

1 .  The  firm  gave  1 000  of  its  employees  to  the  service 
of  the  United  States  during  the  late  war.  Of  this 
number,  327  were  killed,  and  213  were  maimed 
for  life.  These  latter  have  all  been  pensioned 
by  our  corporation,  and  committees  of  our 
employees  keep  in  constant  touch  with  them 
and  their  families. 

2.  Mr.  Cyril  J.  Thompson,  our  executive  manager, 
has  for  the  past  three  years  served  as  president 
of  the  board  of  education  in  this  city,  and  with 
what  loyalty  and  unselfishness  he  has  given  his 
time  and  energy  to  the  cause  of  education  here, 
you  have  doubtless  learned  from  the  press 
notices  that  have  appeared  almost  daily.  It  was 
thru  Mr.  Thompson's  efforts,  and  his  efforts 
alone,  that  the  continuation  schools  were 
organized  in  our  city. 

3.  And  you  know  the  good  work  that  has  been  done 
by  Mr.  Charles  R.  Wagner,  as  member  of  the 
state  legislature.  The  crowning  effort  of  his 
legislative  career  has  just  been  achieved  in  the 
passage  of  the  Wagner  Labor  Law,  which  will  be 

[Conid  on  p.  176 

175 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


Contd.  from  p.  175] 

forever  hereafter,  we  hope,  the  protection  and 
the  salvation  of  those  women  and  children  in 
the  state  who  are  employed  in  factories,  mills, 
shops,  and  industrial  plants  of  any  kind.  Mr. 
Wagner  was,  as  you  know,  one  of  the  vice-presi- 
dents of  our  firm,  until  the  people  of  this  com- 
munity called  him  to  represent  them  in  the  state 
government. 

These  are  but  three  of  the  outstanding  and  signal 
services  rendered  by  our  house  to  and  for  our  city, 
our  state,  and  our  country.  They  are  mentioned  only 
by  way  of  compliance  with  one  of  your  regulations 
for  membership,  not  at  all  because  we  are  keen  to 
parade  our  worthy  traditions  and  achievements  before 
you. 

We  hope  that  your  nominating  committee  will  find 
no  objection  to  recommending  us  for  membership. 
We  promise  that  it  will  never  regret  making  such 
recommendation. 

If  you  require  further  report  or  statement  of  any  kind, 
please  let  us  know  and  we  shall  be  glad  to  comply. 


Too  racy  for  general  use,  of  course.  Poor 
Mr.  Conservative  would  probably  jump 
from  his  swivel  to  the  ceiling,  on 
receiving  such  an  application.  But  after 
all,  this  letter  did  get  a  job  for  the  writer. 


As  to  your  ad  in  the  January  Printers'  Ink  : 

I  am  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Hard  Knocks. 
Ever  since  I  took  my  N.S.D.  (Never  Say  Die) 
degree  there,  I  have  been  doing  postgraduate  work 
in  the  School  of  Experience,  Climbia  University. 

[Contd.  on  p.  177 

176 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY  BY  LETTER 


Contd.  from  p.  176] 

And  I've  dumb,  in  spite  of  dear  old  Professor 
Grumbledust  and  Doctor  Theoristic.  In  other 
words,  I  have  survived  all  academic  handicaps, 
and  ARRIVED  willy-nilly  at  the  following 
psycho-analytic  complex  : 

Here's  what  I  am  : 

A  man.  A  joy-fiend. 

A  worker.  A  health-fiend. 

A  mingler.  A  boost  barrister. 

An  e'er-do-well.  A  success  accelerator. 


Here's  what  I  am  not  : 

A  loafer.  A  killjoy. 

A  shirker.  A  watch  watcher. 

A  wastrel.  An  efficiency  expert. 

A  cigarettist.  An  opportunity  onlooker. 

And  here's  what  I  can  do  : 

I  can  read  and  write. 
I  can  talk  and  fight. 
I  can  sell  merchandise. 
I  can  help  advertise. 
I  can  guide  and  direct. 
I  can  see  and  detect. 
I  can  understand  you. 
I  can  see  a  thing  thru. 
I  can  stick  till  I'm  done. 
I  can  understand  fun. 
I  can  follow  or  lead. 
I  can  work  at  high  speed, 
I  can  play  general  hob. 
I  can  die  for  the  job. 

That's  me.  No  references.  No  photographs.  No 
recommendations  enclosed,  except  just  a  little  piece 
of  copy  I  turned  out  about  six  months  ago.  Records 
aren't  complete  yet,  but  'tis  said  that  this  bit  of 
literary  sales  stuff  has  netted  a  65%  return  to  date. 

If  you're  interested,  give  me  a  ring  (A  100  Right). 
If  you're  not,  no  hard  feelings. 


177 

12— {42t) 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


An  excellent  example  of  what  a  letter 
of  application  should  not  he.  This  letter 
is  reproduced  from\the  pages  of  Postage 
hy  special  permission  of  the  editor,  John 
Howie  Wright. 


Your  advertisement  in  today's  Tribune  has  come 
to  my  attention.  In  reply  I  wish  to  state  that  I  feel 
completely  qualified  to  initiate  the  position  you  offer. 

Fortunately    I    am    well    educated,    having     been 

graduated  from  the  University  of in  Business 

Administration.  It  is  of  particular  interest  to  you  to 
know  that  my  curriculum  included  courses  in  business 
letterwriting  and  commercial  law. 

My  age  is  27,  and  I  have  concurrent  ambition  to 
become  identified  with  a  substantial  business  house, 
such  as  your  advertisement  reflects. 

It  will  be  a  pleasure  to  present  myself,  but  necessarily 
it  must  be  at  my  convenience  as  I  am  now  employed. 
For  your  sake  I  regret  this  circumstance,  but  will  be 
prompt  to  comply  with  any  arrangement  you  might 
make  to  me. 

In  all  sincerity,  I  am 


178 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY   BY   LETTER 


Just  the  sort  of  reply  the  foregoing  letter  deserved. 
This  is  also  reproduced  from  Postage  hy  special 
permission  of  Mr.  Wright. 


We  have  to  talk  straight  from  the  shoulder  in  terse 
Anglo-Saxon  words  to  collect  our  money. 

Your  epistolary  phraseology  reflects  favorably  upon 
your  application  during  the  collegiate  period  of  your 
existence,  and  indeed  previous,  to  that  excellent 
handbook  of  the  discriminating — the  thesaurus — and 
to  that  compendium  of  definitions,  derivations,  and 
synonymous  expressions  frequently  referred  to  as  the 
dictionary,  where  you  have  delved  with  excellent 
results,  exhuming  a  unique  vocabulary  and  a  classic 
phraseology  of  sufficient  rotundity  to  impress 
the  human  norm  and  properly  to  express  your 
individuality. 

Your  predilection  to  the  polysyllabic  conveyance  of 
cognostication  with  its  continued  and  reiterated  peri- 
phrasis, and  your  adoption  of  the  turgid  and  involved 
style  of  the  Johnsonian  era  in  preference  to  the 
lucidity  of  the  masters  of  prose  of  the  succeeding 
century  are,  in  our  opinion,  not  entirely  commendable. 

In  my  peregrinations  in  the  Arcana  of  this  modern 
metropolis  of  the  mid-west,  I  am  more  and  more 
convinced  that  neither  curricula  nor  verbiage  can  ever 
attain  the  sine  qua  nan  in  spite  of  your  concurrent  or 
pre-eminent  ambition.  One  must  appeal,  you  know, 
to  the  canaille. 

I  have  taken  a  few  moments  this  morning  when  my 
stenographer  and  I  are  rushed  to  death,  to  point  out 
an  error  in  your  attempt  to  break  into  business.  You 
have  ability,  I  can  see  by  your  letter,  but  the  work-a- 
day  business  world  has  little  time  for  education  in 
itself  or  for  language  in  itself.  A  letter  must  get 
direct  results.  Make  your  ideas  almost  break  thru 
the  texture  of  language  and  you'll  grip  them  as  the 
Ancient  Mariner  gripped  "  with  his  cold  and  glittering 
eye." 

Talk  the  language  of  the  masses. 

Now  go  ahead!*  Land  your  next  job,  but  may  I  suggest 
that  you  use  more  simple  and  direct  language  in  your 
next  letter  of  application  ? 

Good  luck  ! 


179 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  request  for  recommendation  that  keeps 
the  form  atmosphere  at  a  minimum. 


We  are  considering  the  application  of 

* 

Miss  Ella  Cline 

318  West  101  Street 

New  York  City 

for  a  position  in  this  bank. 

Will  you   kindly   advise   us  in  confidence  regarding 
her  character,  habits,  and  ability  ? 

We  shall  appreciate  your  giving  us  any  additional 
information  about  her,  if  possible. 

Thank  you. 


A  brief  letter  of  introduction  that  may  mean 
ultimately  a  big  industrial  undertaking. 


This  will  introduce  to  you 

Mr,  James  E.  Coe 

who  is  inclined  to  believe  that  Akron  is  just  the  place 
for  him  to  locate  the  Ohio  branch  of  the  Coe  Steam 
Corporation. 

When  he  told  me  he  was  going  to  pay  a  visit  to  Akron 
to  "  look  the  place  over,"  I  insisted  that  he  accept 
this  little  note  of  introduction  to  you. 

Mr.  Coe  and  I  have  been  friends  for  many  years, 
and  I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  him  as  a  man,  as  a 
citizen,  and  as  a  business  builder. 

Any  courtesies  that  you  may  be  able  to  extend  him 
during  his  brief  visit  to  Akron  will  be  greatly 
appreciated  by 

Yours  very  truly. 


180 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY  BY  LETTER 


A  brief  reference  follow-up,  with  short 
questionnaire  attached  for  the  conve- 
nience of  the  informant. 


Miss  Evelyn  Sommers  has  applied  to  us  for  employ- 
ment in  our  accounting  department,  and  she  refers 
us  to  you. 

She  writes  that  she  has  been  working  for  you  for  the 
past  three  years,  principally  as  stenographer  and 
typist,  but  that  she  has  also  done  considerable  work  in 
your  accounting  department.  She  states  that  she 
desires  to  secure  a  position  in  the  latter  kind  of 
work  exclusively. 

Will  you  kindly  verify  Miss  Sommers'  statement,  and 
add  anything  regarding  her  ability  that  you  may 
think  will  be  of  interest  to  us  ?  Perhaps  the  enclosed 
questionnaire  will  save  time  for  you.  We  enclose  also 
Mi§s  Sommers'  letter  with  photograph  attached,  and 
a  stamped  addressed  envelope. 

We  shall  be  very  much  obliged  to  you. 


The  enclosed  questionnaire  :    (For  confidential  report) 

1.  How  long  have  you  known  the  applicant 

2.  Are  the  applicant's  habits  and  character  good 

3.  In  what  sort  of 'work  do  you  especially  recommend 

h 

4.  What  salary  did  you  pay  h (optional) 


5.  Do  you  recognize  the  handwriting  and  the  picture 

(see  enclosed  letter) 

6.  Please  add  anything  else  of  interest  to  all  parties 

concerned 

Date Signature 


181 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Polite,  explicit,  and  obliging. 


This  will  introduce  to  you 

Miss  Alice  James 

Everett  High  School 

New  York  City- 
Miss  James  wants  to  get  first-hand  information  on 
business  correspondence,  in  order  that  she  may  the 
better  prepare  her  pupils  for  the  positions  they  will 
take  in  business  on  their  leaving  high  school. 

Mr.  Alexander  suggested  that  you  might  be  able  to 
assist  her.  He  also  spoke  of  the  Hayden  Company. 
Can  you  put  her  in  touch  with  some  one  in  Mr. 
Hayden's  office  ? 

Both  Mr.  Alexander  and  I  will  appreciate  anything 
you  may  be  able  to  do  to  assist  Miss  James.        ^ 


What  more  could  he  said? 


To  whom  it  may  concern  : 

Mr.  Harold  Jones  has  been  an  employee  of  mine  for 
the  past  tw^o  years. 

He  has  persistently  evinced  an  earnest  and  industrious 
attitude,  and  he  has  brought  to  bear  upon  his  work 
at  all  times  exceptional  intelligence  and  loyalty. 

He  has  never  failed  me  in  an  emergency  during  the 
trying  times  that  we  have  just  passed  thru.  I  have 
no  hesitation  whatever  in  recommending  him  as  a 
young  man  of  unusual  ability,  integrity,  and  per- 
severance. His  departure  from  my  offices  is  regretted 
by  every  one  connected  with  them,  and  I  make  no 
secret  of  the  admission,  that  he  would  not  for  a 
moment  be  permitted  to  go,  were  it  not  for  the  fact 
that  his  family  is  moving  to  Colorado. 


182 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY  BY  LETTER 


Strong  testimony  as  to   the  protective 
values  of  the  Yawman-Erhe  steel  files. 


We  are  very  much  pleased  to  be  able  to  give  the 
following    testimony    regarding    your    steel    filing 


On  November  twentieth  our  executive  offices  were 
completely  destroyed  by  fire.  But  our  scenarios 
were  untouched  by  either  the  intense  heat  or  the 
water  with  which  the  place  was  deluged,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  they  were  stored  in  your  double-wall, 
asbestos-lined  steel  files. 

Naturally,  we  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  these 
files.  Just  as  soon  as  we  pull  ourselves  together 
a  bit,  you  may  count  upon  us  for  another  large 
order,  against  another  "  warm  "  day. 


A  valuable  testimonial  letter  in  behalf 
of  the  Addressograph. 


The  Addressograph  is  an  indispensable 
adjunct  to  our  factory  office  equipment. 
In  addition  to  handling  our  payroll  work, 
which  includes  payroll  sheets,  clock  cards, 
pay  checks,  and  special  lists,  it  prints  all 
of  our  planning  department  shop  forms — 
and  incidentally  saves  us  a  good  many 
hundred  dollars  every  year. 

The  value  of  having  standard  production 
and  cost  information  set  up  on  indestruc- 
tible metal  plates,  instantly  available  for 
use  without  further  checking,  cannot  be 
overestimated.  As  a  means  of  preparing 
in  advance  the  various  shop  tickets 
required  by  a  modern  planning  system, 
the  machine  is  invaluable. 


183 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  change  of  mind  is  oftentimes  the  strongest 
sort  of  testimony  for  or  against. 


We  once  said  that  the  Addressograph 
can  not  be  used  to  advantage  in  tlie 
writing  of  pay  forms. 

But  actual  experience  has  shown  that  we 
were  wrong.  We  find  the  machine  a 
great  time  and  labor  saver.  What  is  even 
more  to  the  point,  it  positively  eliminates 
all  errors  in  transcribing,  and  this  is 
something  that  does  not  happen  when 
payrolls  and  other  similar  documents  are 
copied  by  pen  and  typewriter. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  we  telegraphed  you 
for  a  complete  new  payroll  addressograph 
equipment  to  replace  the  one  that  was 
destroyed  by  fire  ? 


Collective  testimony  explicitly  stated. 


Our  branch  houses  systematically  address  their 
lists  and  their  shipping  tags  with  the  sixty-five 
dollar  Ribbon  Print  Addressograph. 

In  our  Chicago  advertising  department  an  electric 
Addressograph  speedily  addresses,  in  typewriter 
style,  the  large  monthly  edition  of  our  employees 
and  dealers'  magazine. 

In  our  treasury  department  another  Addressograph 
addresses  stockholders'  dividend  checks,  and  meeting 
and  proxy  notices. 

In  our  several  manufacturing  plants  other  Addresso- 
graphs  imprint  employees'  names,  numbers,  and 
other  data  on  various  payroll  forms. 

The  Addressograph  insures  complete  accuracy,  and 
saves  a  great  deal  of  money  for  us  each  year.  W^e 
consider  its  advantages  as  indispensable  as  those  of 
the  telephone. 


184 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY   BY   LETTER 


Accumulated  testimony  applied  to  sales 
promotion  in  a  well-planned  letter. 


Motor  Trucks 
develop 
business 
prestige. 

Service 
Trucks  aid 

the 
Hydrox  Co. 


Service 

Motor  Trucks 

will    solve 

your 

haulage 

problem. 


The   composite 

endorsement  was 

written  by  the 

following 

Service  owners— 

Petry  Express    & 
Storage  Co., 
Trenton,  N.J. 

City  of 
Columbus,    Ohio. 

Hunt  Motor 

Express  Co., 

Brooklyn,  N.Y. 

L.A.  &  S.P. 

Transportation  Co., 

Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


One  by-product  of  efficient  motorization,  is  the 
added  prestige  that  it  gives  a  business.  Service 
Motor  Trucks,  insuring  reliable  service,  uninter- 
rupted delivery,  and  quick  movement  of  goods, 
reflect  credit  upon  your  entire  organization. 

It  is  taken  for  granted  that  firms  using  Service 
Trucks  have  the  same  progressive  standards  in 
their  general  business  policies,  as  in  their  trans- 
portation systems.  Illustrative  of  which,  is 
the  remarkable  growth  of  the  Hydrox 
Company,  Chicago  : 

From  a  very  small  beginning  it  has 
grown  to  be  one  of  the  largest  manufacturers 
of  ice  cream  and  soft  drinks  in  the  world. 
Playing  an  important  part  in  its  advance- 
ment was  the  Service  Motor  Truck.  Impres- 
sive in  appearance,  making  deUveries  with 
unfailing  regularity,  meeting  every  emer- 
gency with  dependable  performance,  it 
could  not  fail  to  create  an  invaluable  business 
prestige. 

Wherever  the  question  of  haulage  is  a  problem. 
Service  Motor  Trucks  are  proving  the  final 
answer.  They  have  won  national  approval  by 
accomplishing  their  given  tasks  in  an  aggressive 
businessUke  manner.  They  are  Builders  of 
Business.  In  the  following  composite  paragraph 
owners  of  Service  Trucks  tell  an  interesting 
story  : 

"  We  have  been  using  four  Service  Trucks 
for  some  time  and  will  add  three  more  to  our 
fleet.  .  .  .  Since  purchasing  our  truck  in  1925 
we  have  spent  but  $5.  for  repairs.  .  .  .  We 
consider  them  the  best  trucks  on  the  market. 
.  .  .  We  will  recommend  Service  Trucks  to 
any  one  who  wishes  to  install  truck  equipment 
no  matter  what  his  haulage  problem  may  be." 

Service  Motor  Trucks  are  built  in  seven  models, 
from  one  to  five  tons.  They  are  built  to  fit  the 
requirements  of  every  business.  A  catalog 
upon  request. 


185 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


An  excellent  testimonial  letter  appropriate 
for  sales  promotion  work. 


Since  the  installation  of  Loose  Leaf  Ledgers  in  our 
Accounting  Department,  about  seventeen  years  ago, 
we  have  continued  purchasing  from  your  house  right 
up  to  the  present. 


We  find  that  your  product  is  superior  to  others,  and 
that  your  service  is  unusually  prompt  and  satisfactory. 
And  we  say  this  only  after  having  given  others  a  trial  ! 


For  the  last  five  years  we  have  been  using  the  mechan- 
ical method  of  bookkeeping  under  the  Kalamazoo  C 
System  and  we  have  found  that  : 


It  gives  us  a  correct  balance  of  the  customer's 
account  at  the  completion  of  each  entry. 


2:  Each  day's  work  is  mechanically  proved. 


3.  Our  accounts  are  always  posted  up  to  date — a 
feature  of  great  value  to  our  Credit  Department. 


4.  One  operator  can  carry  the  work  that  required 
two  under  the  old  system. 


Ours  is  a  rapidly  expanding  business,  and  the  flexi- 
bility of  the  Kalamazoo  C  System  has  solved  our 
problem  of  handling  a  huge  number  of  increased 
accounts.  We  consider  it  the  best  system  in  use,  and 
we  are  glad  to  say  so  to  the  world. 


186 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY  BY   LETTER 


An  artist  bases  testimony  upon  study 
and  experience. 


I  have  given  a  good  deal  of  time  to  studying  phono- 
graphic reproduction,  and  my  decision  to  make 
records  exclusively  for  the  Aeolian-Vocalion  is  based 
on  the  actual  superiority  of  that  instrument  and 
the  Vocalion  record. 


Reproductions  of  one's  art  that  are  made  by  the  thou- 
sand and  distributed  broadcast,  reaching  localities 
where  one  is  never  heard  personally,  have  an  influence 
that  no  artist  can  afford  to  ignore. 


The  Aeolian-Vocalion  is  undoubtedly  the  best  phono- 
graph made  today.  Its  tones  are  better,  richer, 
freer,  and  more  naturally  beautiful  than  those  of  any 
other.  And  it  seems  capable  of  reproducing  the 
characteristics  of  the  artist's  voice  more  definitely 
than  any  other  instruments. 


This,  coupled  with  the  spirit  I  have  encountered  in 
the  Aeolian  organization,  its  wide  knowledge  of 
musical  requirements,  its  attitude  toward  the 
Vocalion  as  a  serious  musical  instrument,  as  well  as 
the  reputation  of  the  Company,  has  led  me  to  select 
the  Aeolian-Vocalion  as  the  medium  thru  which  I 
prefer  to  reproduce  my  art. 


187 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Recommending  Bill  genially  and  congenially,  but  not 
altogether  convincingly  ! 


You  ask  me  to  recommend  Bill  Higbee. 

This,  because  he  has  applied  for  membership  in  our 
precious  "  sewing  circle,"  and  has  had  the  undulerated 
vanity  to  refer  to  me.  Well,  then,  here  goes,  and 
Heaven  Help  Bill,  say  I  : 

Billiam  Higbee  was  born  of  poor  but  honest  parents  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty,  in 
the  month  of  February,  the  twenty-ninth  day.  But  as 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn  from  an  acquaintance 
with  our  subject  covering  more  than  fifty  years,  he  has 
never  permitted  his  inherited  poverty  and  honesty 
seriously  to  handicap  his  career. 

From  a  very  early  age  Billiam  evinced  a  very  extra- 
ordinary liking  for  coin  and  jewelry.  He  played  with 
trinkets  and  siller  in  his  cradle.  He  invariably  went 
lullabying  (tho  he  is  reported  to  have  been  a  wakeful 
child)  with  his  Daddy's  timepiece  in  his  hands.  It  is 
asserted  as  a  fact  that  he  once  swallowed  a  Canadian 
quarter,  but  there  is  nothing  in  the  record  to  show  that 
he  ever  masticated  a  timepiece — ^wrist,  pocket,  mantel, 
or  grandfather. 

These  details  I  give  you  early  in  my  story,  just  to  show 
you  that,  as  an  infant,  Billiam  had  a  commercial 
complex,  and  was  probably  bom  with  it. 

As  for  his  honesty,  you  know,  as  I  know,  as  the  world 
knows,  his  history,  as  a  politician  and  a  lawyer.  He 
has  been  the  conventional  best  of  both.    Nuff  said  ! 

Now,  when  it  comes  to  taking  this  applicant  into  the 
Lenape  Club,  why,  I  have  no  objection,  of  course.  Let 
him  come.  He'll  do  us  good.  (Get  the  accent  right  in 
this  last  sentence,  please.)  What's  more,  he'll  afford 
perpetual  stimulus  to  our  treasurer  in  the  matter  of 
collection  of  dues.  Bill  Higbee,  I  reckon,  has  inspired 
a  greater  bulk  of  artistic  collection  literature  in  every 
line  of  business,  than  any  other  man  alive.    He  owes 

[Contd.  on  p.  189 

188 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY   BY   LETTER 


Contd.  from  p.  188] 

me  fifty  this  minute,  and  I  therefore  have  a  personal 
interest  in  seeing  him  in  the  club,  I'll  be  able  to  dun 
him  daily  for  the  dollars  due  !  Besides,  Treasurer 
Longrene  needs  a  new  set  of  collection  follow-ups.  On 
this  score  alone,  therefore,  I'm  for  admitting  Bill 
Higbee. 

But  there  are  other  redeeming  features  about  Bill. 
He's  an  Al  dresser,  and  can  always  be  relied  upon  to 
adorn  our  lobby  on  ladies'  nights.  He  never  rode  a 
horse  in  his  life,  but  you  ought  to  see  him  in  a  riding 
suit !  Why,  man,  he  just  bulges  with  beauty  !  He 
wears  a  chess  uniform,  too,  sometimes,  tho  he  plays 
the  game  with  very  much  the  same  nonchalance  with 
which  he  pays  his  bills.  One  of  the  biggest  considera- 
tions about  taking  Bill  into  our  club  is  this  :  There 
isn't  a  member  who  cannot  beat  him  at  our  favorite 
indoor  sport.  This  is  not  saying  much  for  anybody's 
game  except  my  own,  and  modesty  forbids  my  saying 
more  !  But  this  I  will  say  :  I've  been  the  chess 
champion  in  the  Lenape  Club  for  the  past  forty  years. 

And  the  game  Bill  plays  won't  put  me  on  my  mettle 
one  little  bit,  in  spite  of  his  uniform  !  My  brethren 
may  try  him  in  welcome.  Beating  Bill  at  chess  ought 
to  give  them  just  about  the  same  sort  of  stimulation 
that  a  kidnaper  enjoys  in  robbing  a  dolls'  hospital. 

But  why  expatiate  further  on  the  candidate's  virtues  ? 
Take  him  in.  If  you  don't,  he'll  never  pay  some  of  us 
what  he  owes  us.  If  you  do,  he  may.  But  he'll  never 
pay  his  dues.  It's  about  fifty-fifty,  viewed  from 
either  angle. 

I  am  sending  Bill  a  copy  of  this  discerning  recom- 
mendation. I  suggest  that  you  post  this  on  the  club 
bulletin  board  as  a  model  to  be  followed  hereafter 
in  similar  cases. 

And  be  sure  to  give  the  goat  a  goodly  grooming  for 
Bill's  initiation  !  ! 


189 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


PRACTICE 

(Students  should  make  use  of  real  and  exact  addresses  in  the 
solution  of  the  problems  here  and  elsewhere  given  in  the  book. 
Addresses  are  by  no  means  always  supplied  in  the  problems.  But 
students  should  fix  in  mind  certain  local  and  remote  (even  foreign; 
addresses  by  using  them  in  the  letters  they  write  for  practice. 
They  are  advised  to  imagine  that  the  problem  letter  to  be  written 
is  in  each  case  written  to  some  definite  person  or  firm.  It  is  a 
part  of  every  business  student's  training  to  know  exactly  and  on 
the  minute  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  leading  firms  in  his 
community,  as  well  as  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  leading 
firms  of  the  country  and  of  the  world.) 

1.  Write  letters  of  application  in  answer  to  the  following: 

Office  boys  and  girls  wanted  by  large  bank  in  financial  section  of 
the  city.  Work  consists  of  addressing  envelopes,  answering  telephones, 
running  errands,  and  so  forth.  Answer  in  own  handwriting,  stating 
age,  education,  school  now  attending  (if  any),  experience  (if  any), 
and  salary  expected. 

Young  college  man  wanted  in  the  accounting  department  of  a  large 
retail  establishment.  Excellent  opportunity  for  advancement  for 
the  right  man.  Must  offer  best  of  references,  and  explain  attitude 
towards  life,  and  aim  in  choice  of  life  work.  Write  fully,  stating 
among  other  things  your  age,  education,  and  experience.  Your 
letter  will  probably  be  the  deciding  issue  in  consideration  for  this  . 
position. 

Bank  cashier  needs  confidential  secretary,  young  man  or  woman 
of  superior  training  and  good  appearance.  Knowledge  of  stenography 
and  typewriting  will  be  an  asset,  but  it  is  not  an  essential.  Applicant 
must  be  able  to  exercise  tact  and  judgment  in  the  supervision  of 
the  routine  work  of  the  cashier's  office,  and  must  know  how  to 
meet  and  talk  with  people.  Occasional  travel  will  be  necessary. 
Answer  in  full,  in  your  own  handwriting. 

The  merchants'  association  of  this  city  solicits  members  from  among 
those  merchants  who  are  permanently  established  here,  and  who  are 
interested  in  the  community  sufficiently  to  assist  in  a  cooperative 
and  forward-looking  movement  for  increased  commercial  and 
industrial  population.  We  want  to  sell  this  thriving  little  town  to  ^ 
manufacturers,  and  we  want  to  do  many  other  things  to  "  make  us 
bigger  and  better."  Come  in.  Membership  fees  are  fifty  dollars 
annually.  Applicants  for  membership  must  give  satisfactory 
evidence  of  business  growth,  stability,  and  institutional  ideals. 

We  have  an  excellent  opening  for  a  young  woman  of  the  Emma 

190 


SELLING  PERSONAL  EFFICIENCY  BY  LETTER 


McChesney  type,  who  is  willing  to  travel  in  the  middle  west,  visiting 
the  pianolo  trade.  She  should  be  an  alert  and  experienced  sales- 
woman, and  should  in  addition  be  able  to  manage  local  musicales 
in  halls  as  well  as  in  private  homes.  Musical  ability  not  a  requisite, 
but  it  would  of  course  be  an  asset.  Write  us  fully  about  yourself, 
and  tell  us,  among  many  other  things,  why  you  think  we  advertise 
for  a  woman  rather  than  for  a  man. 

2.  Assume  that  you  are  the  one  seeking  the  position  explained 
in  each  of  the  advertisements  below.  Write  fully  and  sellingly 
in  answer  to  each  advertisement.  Make  your  application  give  the 
impression  that  you  possess  knowledge  of  the  kind  of  work 
indicated.  This  will  probably  require  that  you  "  read  up,"  or 
otherwise  learn  about  it.  It  will  be  fatal  to  pretend,  for  you 
cannot  fool  a  man  who  knows  what  he  wants,  and  asks  for  it. 

An  Unusual  Opportunity  Awaits  an  Unusual  Man 

— a  man  who  primarily  can  obtain  other  men's  views  and  at  the 

same  time  sell  them  an  idea. 
— a  man  who  thoroly  knows  the  electric  fixture  business  and  the 

electric  lighting  business. 
— a  man  with  an  artistic  sense,  but  not  an  artistic  temperament. 
— a  man  broad  enough  to  meet  all  kinds  of  men  on  their  own  ground. 
This  man    must  be   extremely   tactful.     He  must  be  thoro  in  his 
work. 

Above  all  he  must  be  a  good  listener.  But  if  in  addition  to  this 
qualification,  he  can  speak  convincingly  to  a  group  of  men  when 
occasion  requires  so  much  the  better. 

Such  a  man  is  unusual.  But  for  this  unusual  man  there  awaits 
an  unusual  opportunity. 

If  you  are  such  a  man,  looking  for  a  broader  future,  write  fully  and 
in  entire  confidence. 

We  want  an  all  'round  man  who  can  write — direct- mail,  house  organs, 
trade  and  general  advertising.  A  man  with  vision  and  the  ability 
to  adapt  it  to  practical  purposes.  And — very  important — a  man 
who  can  write  short,  virile,  articles  on  various  phases  of  merchandis- 
ing and  salesmanship.  This  is  a  good  steady  position  with  a  high- 
class  Philadelphia  advertising  and  printing  service  house,  which 
you  will  be  given  every  opportunity  and  assistance  to  develop  still 
further.  Give  details  as  to  experience  and  initial  salary  wanted  ; 
be  prepared  to  submit  samples  of  your  work,  and  sell  yourself  in 
your  letter,  as  this  is  what  must  gain  you  your  first  interview. 

A  national  corporation  has  an  opening  for  a  man  or  a  woman  with  a 
real  nose  for  news,  who  can  extract  the  worth  while  publicity  from 
items  flowing  in  from  all  over  the  country,  who  can  visualize  and 
express  the  human  interest  existing  in  the  many-sided  activities 
and  operations  of  thousands  of  employees,  and  who  can  edit  one  of 
the  country's  best  known  house  magazines. 

191 


BUSINESS    LETTER   PRACTICE 


In  one  of  our  most  prominent '  bookstores  several  vacancies  exist. 
These  positions  are  suitable  for  both  men  and  women.  Naturally, 
those  having  experience  will  be  preferred,  but  any  one  who  is  desirous 
of  such  employment,  and  who  is  of  good  address  and  pleasing  per- 
sonality, and  is  well  versed  in  general  literature,  need  not  hesitate 
to  apply,  in  writing,  giving  full  quaUfications. 

Advertising  Manager  wants  young  lady  stenographer  with  secretarial 
qualifications.  Must  have  experience,  initiative,  and  ability  to  assume 
office  details  and  responsibilities.  State  full  particulars,  and  salary 
desired. 

Young  man  trained  in  research  and  trade  investigations.  Preferably 
a  man  with  thoro  knowledge  of  farm  and  agricultural  conditions. 
Splendid  opportunity  with  development  department  of  high-class 
publisher  in  Southwest.     Reply  in  detail. 

We  have  a  position  open  for  a  bookkeeper.  We  want  one  who  is 
capable  of  taking  full  charge  of  the  bookkeeping  system  of  an 
advertising  agency  and  who  has  had  experience  with  books  of  that 
kind.  If  you  believe  you  have  the  qualifications  and  initiative 
necessary  to  fill  this  position,  we  should  Uke  to  hear  from  you.  We 
prefer  a  woman,  but  will  consider  the  application  of  a  man.  Address 
with  full  information  as  to  age,  experience,  and  salary  desired. 

You  can  make  a  splendid  place  for  yourself  at  the  head  of  our 
checking  department.  We  want  some  one  who  is  experienced,  can 
manage  others  and  wants  to  develop  himself  by  using  common  sense 
and  gray  matter.  The  opening  is  with  a  big,  well-established 
agency  where  merit  is  recognized  and  rewarded.  Tell  us  of 
your  experience  and  ambitions,  and  what  salary  you  expect.  All 
correspondence  will  be  treated  confidentially. 

Bread  advertiser  with  bakeries  in  many  cities,  wants  young  man  with 
bread  advertising  experience.  The  position  will  require  periodical 
visits  to  bakeries,  analysis  of  local  conditions  in  the  various  territories, 
and,  when  campaigns  are  on,  follow-up  work  with  salesmen.  A 
pleasing  personality  and  tact  are  necessary.  Unlimited  possibilities 
for  the  right  man.  Give  a  brief  summary  of  experience  and  state 
salary  to  start.     Replies  will  be  held  in  confidence. 

The  services  of  a  young  lady  trained  in  producing  retail  advertise- 
ments are  desired  in  the  promotional  department  of  the  Memphis 
(Tenn.)  Record.  Must  possess  keen  conception  of  merchandise  in  all 
branches  and  have  due  regard  for  art  in  typography.  Splendid 
opportunity  in  a  highly  developed  and  appreciative  organization. 
Tell  all  about  yourself  in  a  letter,  and  indicate  remuneration  expected. 

One  of  the  largest  and  most  rapidly  growing  manufacturers  of  paints 
and  varnishes  is  open  to  receive  the  applications  of  men  who  have 
successful  records  as  sales  managers  to  take  immediate  charge  of 
branch  offices  and  sales  districts  in  Michigan,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania, 
and  Indiana.  In  replying  state  past  experience,  qualifications,  age, 
reference,  and  salary  required. 

192 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY   BY   LETTER 


3.  Assume  that  you  are  an  employer.  Write  a  letter  in  answer 
to  each  of  the  following  advertisements  for  a  situation.  Explain 
exactly  what  kind  of  opening  you  have,  what  the  work  is,  and  what 
salary  you  can  offer.  Tell  also  what  opportunities  there  are  for 
advancement,  and  for  general  uplift  and  betterment.  Point  out 
items  in  the  advertisement  that  indicate  that  the  advertiser  is, 
you  think,  the  very  person  you  have  been  looking  for.  But  ask 
certain  questions  regarding  matters  not  covered  in  the  advertisement 
and  about  which  you  are  consequently  in  doubt. 

This  man  has  had  ten  years'  experience  in  advertising  with  some 
of  the  foremost  manufacturers  in  the  United  States.  He  has  also  had 
experience  in  advertising  agencies.  He  knows  the  fundamentals  of 
advertising  and  the  media  for  putting  them  into  effective  operation — 
the  "  when,"  "  how,"  and  "  which  "  of  applying  them  to  definite 
propositions.  He  has  had  a  wide  experience  in  using  general  ' 
magazines,  business,  technical  and  farm  journals,  direct-by-mail 
advertising,  house  organs  and  dealer  promotion  work.  He  began 
as  a  copy  writer  and  has  gone  thru  to  important  executive 
positions.  His  record  is  a  good  one,  good  enough  to  have  resulted  in 
return  engagements  with  previous  employers.  He  has  sound 
business  sense  and  executive  ability.  He  is  thirty-four  years  old 
and  well  educated.  He  will  be  interested  only  in  a  position 
.above  the  average  with  a  substantial,  progressive  company. 

A  well-known  advertising  man  says  I  have  "  a  very  accurate  straight- 
forward ability  to  analyze  and  present  the  facts  in  any  case."  Eight 
years  in  publicity  and  three  years  in  sales  enable  me  to  translate  the 
facts  into  practical,  effective  sales  promotion  plans  ;  virile,  forceful 
sales  letters,  or  interesting  copy.  Thoro  engineering  training  enables 
me  to  handle  engineering  problems  when  necessary. 

Former  captain,  French  Army,  experienced  in  manufacturing, 
desires  to  represent  an  American  company  in  France.  Thirty-three 
years  old.  Bachelor  of  Science,  student  at  Ecole  Centrale  two  years, 
understands  some  English,  and  making  rapid  progress  in  speaking. 
Lived  in  north  of  France  twenty-one  years,  and  was  a  member  of 
Government  Committee  on  Commerce,  Industry,  and  Agriculture. 
Has  numerous  desirable  trade  connections. 

A  salesman  from  New  York  is  beginning  his  sixth  year  in  Arkansas 
and  Missouri,  creating  and  cultivating  the  jobbing  and  department 
store  trade  with  one  of  the  most  expensive  lines  of  perfumes  and 
toilet  preparations.  Last  year  his  sales  increased  100%  over  the 
previous  year.  His  intimate  knowledge  of,  and  his  ability  to  create 
business  with  department  stores  and  jobbers,  will  be  valuable  to  a 
manufacturer  whose  product  is  capable  of  broader  distribution  thru 
these  channels.     Open  for  engagement  early  in  January. 

193 

13-  (4'^9) 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  young  advertising  man,  with  eight  years'  sales  and  advertising 
experience,  wishes  position  in  Western  States  that  offers  better 
opportunities  for  advancement  than  present  position  affords.  Have 
had  sales  work  and  charge  of  local  advertising  with  large  national 
advertiser.  Was  advertising  manager  of  progressive  technical  class 
journal  previous  to  service  in  army.  Am  now  advertising  manager 
of  manufacturing  firm — marketing  limited  lines  of  machinery  in 
domestic  and  export  territory.  Applicant  is  married  and  graduate 
of  Stanford  University,  in  College  of  Engineering.  Capable  of 
handling  all  advertising  and  publicity  and  preliminary  sales  corre- 
spondence of  firm  manufacturing  machinerj'-  or  similar  commodities. 
Salary  to  start  $3500.  a  year. 

4.  You  have  an  opportunity,  we  shall  say,  to  secure  a  very 
desirable  position,  one  that  you  have  for  a  very  long  time  been 
trying  to  get.  At  last  you  are  told  that,  if  you  can  produce  a 
satisfactory  recommendation  from  your  present  employer,  the 
position  is  yours.  You  have  told  your  employer  this,  but  he  wants 
you  to  put  it  in  writing.  Do  so.  Make  it  a  strong  and  enthusiastic 
appeal,  but  keep  it  restrained  and  dignified.  You  are  sorry  to 
leave  him,  of  course,  but  you  are  glad  for  this  opportunity. 

5.  In  reply  to  your  letter  written  in  compliance  with  Problem  4, 
your  employer  writes  to  you  and  also  to  the  firm  that  offers  you  the 
position.  Reproduce  both  of  these  letters,  the  one  congratulating 
you  and  the  other  recommending  you. 

6.  In  a  letter  of  application  for  a  position  in  the  foreign  depart- 
ment of  the  Guaranty  Trust  Company,  140  Broadway,  New  York, 
you  gave  as  references  a  trust  company  in  Newark  and  a  national 
bank  in  Chicago,  in  both  of  which  you  have  previously  been 
employed.  Write  the  Guaranty  Trust  Company  letters  that  follow 
up  these  references.  Write  the  letters  of  recommendation  from  the 
Newark  and  Chicago  houses  respectively.  Assume  that  one  of  these 
letters  of  recommendation  speaks  of  your  qualifications  in  connection 
with  the  work  of  a  certain  department,  and  that  the  other  recommends 
you  in  connection  with  the  work  of  a  different  department. 

7.  Assume  that  you  have  an  employee  who  is  obliged  for  domestic 
reasons  to  move  to  a  remote  part  of  the  country.  You  are  extremely 
sorry  to  have  him  go,  for  he  has  been  one  of  your  most  reliable  and 
dependable  assistants.  Write  him  a  letter  of  introduction  to  your 
cousin  who  is  cashier  of  a  bank  in  the  city  where  his  new  home 
is  to  be.  Write  him  also  a  letter  of  general  recommendation, 
calculated  to  be  of  service  to  him  in  seeking  emplo5niient  in  his  new 
place  of  residence. 

194 


SELLING   PERSONAL   EFFICIENCY  BY  LETTER 

8.  You  have  been  called  upon  to  write  a  recommendation  for  an 
old  employee  who,  while  working  for  you,  was  industrious  and 
efficient,  but  who  was  aggressively  radical  in  his  beliefs  and  a 
somewhat  disturbing  influence  in  your  factories.  Your  recom- 
mendation will  probably  be  the  deciding  issue  in  his  candidacy  for 
a  position  with  a  firm  the  employees  of  which  are  not  closely 
knitted  together  by  either  internal  or  external  organization.  Let 
your  recommendation  be  tolerant  and  frank,  as  well  as  elucidating 
and  forceful. 

9.  James  Warrington,  highly  respected  citizen  of  your  community 
and  one  of  the  most  prominent  business  men,  has  given  you  as 
reference  in  his  application  for  membership  in  your  golf  club  at 
the  summer  resort  where  he  and  you  spend  the  summer.  Both  the 
application  and  the  recommendation  are  more  or  less  formal  and 
routine  matters.  But  in  the  recommendation  that  you  write  for 
Mr.  Warrington  you  take  a  few  good-natured  thrusts  at  his  game, 
and  compare  it  with  your  own,  to  his  disadvantage,  of  course. 
You  urge  your  fellow  numbers,  most  of  whom  know  him  well  and 
favorably,  to  admit  him  to  the  club  more  for  the  man's  sake  than 
for  the  sake  of  the  game.  You  are  on  sufficiently  intimate  terms 
with  Mr.  Warrington  to  make  this  indulgence  of  humor  a  perfectly 
safe  procedure  all  around.  Prepare  the  letter.  The  conditions  of 
the  problem  may  be  turned  to  any  similar  situation,  such  as. 
admission  to  a  guild  or  a  literary  society  or  a  school  team. 

10.  You  are  a  grocer  of  good  standing  in  a  certain  community, 
we  shall  say.  You  ask  the  bank  with  which  you  have  had  satis- 
factory dealings  for  many  years,  to  write  you  a  letter  of  recom- 
mendation to  a  bank  in  a  nearby  city,  where  you  intend  to  make 
large  wholesale  purchases  in  the  near  future.  Reproduce  the 
letter  that  your  bank  writes  in  your  behalf.  It  should  contain 
exact  data  bearing  upon  your  checking  account,  your  estimated 
business,  and  your  current  solvency. 

11.  You  have  used,  let  us  say,  a  certain  automobile  for  many 
years  with  extreme  satisfaction.  You  are  enthusiastic  about  this 
particular  car,  and  are  always  ready  to  say  so.  The  local  agent 
asks  you  to  write  a  letter  for  publicity  purposes,  recommending  it 
in  one  special  capacity  only.  Write  the  testimonial  for  the  agent, 
telling  what  the  car  will  do  and  what  your  own  experience  has  been 
in  using  it,  in  this  particular  capacity,  of  course 

195 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


12.  Your  accounts  have  been  regularly  audited  for  the  past  five 
years  by  the  employees  of  a  certain  auditing  house  in  your  city. 
This  house  is  now  opening  a  branch  in  a  neighboring  city,  and 
asks  you  to  write  a  testimonial  letter  for  it,  to  be  used  in  advertise- 
ments in  the  local  papers  of  the  city  of  the  new  venture.  Prepare 
this  letter.  Give  in  it  definite  facts  from  your  experience  with 
the  company,  as  to  the  service  it  has  rendered  you.  Point  out, 
among  other  things,  that  your  books  are  extremely  involved  and 
complicated,  and  that  experts  only  are  capable  of  auditing  them. 

13.  Write  a  recommendation  of  yourself  in  the  third  person. 
Make  this  a  little  life  history  of  your  experience  and  attainment 
to  date.  Be  fearlessly  fair  and  just  in  your  self-analysis  and  do 
not  explain  away  failure  or  defeat  of  any  kind  by  making  excuses, 
or  by  charging  either  up  to  "  the  other  fellow  "  or  to  adverse 
circumstances.  Explain  your  successes  with  pride  and  frankness, 
but  with  modesty.  Perhaps  you  can  best  do  this  by  imagining 
yourself  an  employer  on  the  one  hand,  and  an  employee  on  the 
other. 


196 


CHAPTER  IV 

SELLING  THE  EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 
BY  LETTER 

No  matter  how  often  they  query 

By  letter,  by  voice,  or  by  sign. 
Remember,  tho  questions  may  weary, 

To  answer  may  be  divine. 

The  first  thing  for  a  representative  of  our  business  to  get 
firmly  fixed  in  mind  is,  that  every  question  that  is  asked 
by  any  customer  anywhere,  any  time,  about  anything  must 
have  an  answer  plus — an  answer  that  consists  not  only  of 
words  and  sentences,  but  attitude  and  action  as  well ;  an 
answer  that  is  cordial  in  tone,  courteous  in  expression,  and 
more  than  complete  in  content.  There  must  be  no  curtness, 
no  shortness,  no  impatience — ^no  matter  how  foohsh  the 
question  may  seem  or  how  disagreeable  the  questioner  may 
appear.  Above  all,  no  question  that  is  asked  in  this  estab- 
lishment is  to  be  answered  by  pointing  to  a  sign  or  by 
reference  to  somebody  else,  and,  for  an  employee  of  this 
house  to  say,  "  I  don't  know,"  in  reply  to  a  question  is  to 
confess  that  he  is  unquahfied  to  hold  down  his  job  efficiently. 

This  code  has  become  a  form  of  business-religion  with  the  employees 
in  a  large  retail  house  in  the  middle  west.  It  applies,  and  should 
be  applied,  just  as  strongly  to  the  business  letter  situation  as  to 
the  business  face-to-face  situation.  Letters  of  request  and  acknow- 
ledgment, that  is  to  say,  everyday  letters  or  everyman's  letters  or 
general  business  letters  are  likely  to  induce  cursory  and  summary 
treatment  because  of  their  large  numbers  and  their  persistent 
regularity.  They  have  been  called  routine  letters  (see  pages  95  and 
201),  and  have  thus  been  condemned  by  the  very  name  to  the  realm 
of  conventionality  and  mechanism.  Do  not  refer  to  the  letters  of 
your  daily  round  of  work  as  routine  letters.  If  you  do,  you  will 
psychologize  their  content  as  routine,  and  will  ruin  business  for 
your  company  by  writing  them  in  a  routine  manner. 

Mighty  oaks  from  little  acorns  grow.  Colossal  contracts  from 
careless  queries  come.  Every  one  of  your  questioners  compliments 
you  with  the  imputation  that  you  possess  knowledge,  and  with 
the  assumption  that  you  have  the  ability  to  express  it  intelligibly. 

197 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


BUSINESS    LETTER   SERVICE 

Boston  New  York  Philadelphia  Chicago 


January  4,  1930 

Ordway  Brothers 
120  Ordway  Square 
Denver,  Colorado 

Gentlemenf 

Some  business  houses  make  use  of  this  kind  of  letter 
arrangement.  The  first  line  of  every  paragraph  is 
extended  rather  than  indented  or  set  flush  with  the 
other  lines. 

Extended  paragraphing  is  very  appropriate  for  those  letters 
in  which  it  is  desired  to  emphasize  the  first  word  or 
the  first  few  words  of  every  paragraph.  The  extended 
portion  seems  to  strike  out  to  catch  the  eye. 

But  in  addition  to  this,  extended  paragraphing  affords  a 
very  pleasant  and  attractive  picture,  if  it  is  carefully 
carried  out.  Tho  it  may  usually  entail  two  signals  for 
paragraphing,  when  and  where  only  one  is  really 
necessary,  there  can  be  no  serious  objection  to  such 
repetition. 

Yours  very  truly, 


—IT ^ 

John  B.  Opdycke 

for 
BUSINESS  LETTER  SERVICE 


0....2 


19$ 


SELLING   THE   EVERYDAY   TRANSACTION 


Every  one  of  your  informants  compliments  you  with  his  attention 
to  your  interests.  To  ask  is  a  privilege  ;  to  inform,  a  duty.  But 
also  :  to  inform  is  a  privilege  ;  to  ask,  a  duty.  Question-and- 
answer  should  imply  a  mutually  obligatory  and  a  mutually  compli- 
mentary attitude.  It  is  only  by  taking  this  point  of  view  toward 
everyday  letters  that  they  may  be  elevated  from  the  realm  of  the 
commonplace.  Just  because  they  have  to  be  written  in  such  large 
numbers  and  so  frequently,  special  and  extraordinary  care  should 
be  taken  to  keep  them  fresh  and  vivid  and  personal  and  stimulating. 
Ever3#  query  you  receive  should  be  regarded  as  a  challenge. 

It  may  be  a  disadvantage  in  everyday  correspondence  that  large 
numbers  of  letters  are  written  to  and  by  people  who  know  but 
little  of  business  and  who  are  consequently  unbusinesslike  in  their 
communications.  But  there  is  a  compensating  advantage  in  the 
fact,  namely,  that  practically  all  everyday  letters  are  prompted 
by  an  interest  already  created.  The  letter  writer  whose  work  it  is 
to  sell  everyday  transactions  by  letter,  is  privileged,  therefore,  to 
concentrate  upon  direct  subject-matter.  He  may  begin  in  medias 
res.  He  is  not  obliged  to  build  attention  or  interest  by  means  of 
indirect  subject-matter.  But  this  is  not  to  be  taken  to  mean  that 
the  everyday  letter  is  not  to  be  made  a  business  builder.  Its 
opportunities  for  stimulating  and  accelerating  business  are  greater 
than  those  offered  by  any  other  type  of  letter  salesmanship.  If  the 
most  subtle  temptation  of  the  everyday  letter  writer  is  that  of 
allowing  his  letter  copy  to  descend  to  the  commonplace,  his  most 
serious  obligation  is  to  make  every  letter  he  writes  induce  reactions 
that  will  culminate  profitably  in  permanent  good-will. 

Questions,  as  a  rule,  should  be  serialized  from  short  to  long,  from 
simple  to  complex.  They  should  at  the  same  time  follow  logical 
sequence  and  grouping.  A  clear-cut  tabulation  of  a  series  of 
questions  may  go  far  toward  facilitating  the  work  of  those  who 
answer,  and  accordingly  toward  speeding  up  replies.  Questions 
should  be  stated  simply  and  directly,  and  prefaced  or  re-enforced 
by  such  phrasal  civilities  as  please,  kindly,  if  you  please.  In  con- 
sideration for  the  person  of  whom  inquiry  is  made,  questions  should 
be  so  framed,  if  possible,  as  to  be  answerable  by  a  mere  yes  or  no. 
This  is  not  to  say  that  they  should  be  so  answered  (see  below), 
but  it  is  certainly  a  valuable  and  worthwhile  aim  for  a  questioner 
to  keep  in  mind.     It  will  help  him   to  focus  his  thought   and 

199 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


economize  his  interrogative  expression.  There  can  be  little,  if 
any,  real  reason  for  making  an  inquiry  complicated.  All  questions, 
even  the  curious  and  humorous  hypothetical  ones  that  lawyers 
sometimes  promulgate,  are  capable  of  clarifying  division  and 
subdivision.  Every  question  asked  in  a  letter  should  be  separately 
paragraphed  and  spaced,  and  questions  in  a  series  should  be 
numbered.  The  form  of  a  letter  of  inquiry  may  be  further  improved 
by  setting  all  questions  on  a  margin  inserted  from  the  margin  of 
the  letter  proper. 

Attitude  and  tone  in  asking  questions  are  quite  as  important  as 
in  answering  them.  Neither  ask  nor  answer  questions  with  a 
superior  or  a  flippant  or  an  irritable  or  a  submissive  air.  Inquirer 
and  informant  are  on  an  equality.  The  mere  momentary  question- 
and-answer  situation  gives  neither  the  one  who  asks  nor  the  one 
who  answers  any  right  of  assumption  by  way  of  ascending  or 
descending  or  condescending  regard.  Foolish  questions  are  to  be 
answered  seriously ;  serious  questions  are  never  to  be  answered 
foolishly.  The  questioner  must  always  be  given  the  benefit  of 
every  possible  doubt  as  to  the  seriousness  and  sincerity  of  his 
questions. 

Information,  like  interrogation,  should  be  serialized  and  par- 
titioned whenever  possible.  The  fact  that  a  questioner  may  have 
been  careless  and  perhaps  obscure  in  the  formulation  of  his 
questionnaire,  does  not  at  all  excuse  an  informant's  being  so  in 
his  answer.  Answers  to  questions  must  be  clear,  concise,  complete, 
but  they  must  be  clear  and  complete  even  if  they  cannot  always 
be  concise.  The  letter  of  information  may  be  the  one  vehicle  of 
business  composition  wherein  the  rule  of  conciseness  has  to  be 
liberalized.  If  answers  to  questions  are  too  brief  and  compact 
and  concise,  they  may  not  contain  "  all  the  information,"  and  the 
query-and-answer  sequence  of  correspondence  may  be  unprofitably 
prolonged.  Even  where  questions  may  be  answered  by  a  simple 
yes  or  no,  it  is  rarely  good  busines  to  answer  them  so  simply  in  a 
letter  of  information.  Plusage  and  surplusage  of  answer  may  be 
"  proper  to  the  point."  Certain  yes-Sind-no  questions  offer  tre- 
mendous business-building  opportunities.  To  ignore  these  oppor- 
tunities would  be  to  "  routineer  "  everyday  correspondence,  and 
pass  business  along  to  the  other  fellow.  On  the  other  hand,  to 
try  to  create  business-building  opportunity  out  of  every  query, 

200 


SELLING   THE   EVERYDAY   TRANSACTION 


consciously  and  aggressively,  would  be  to  disgust  and  disperse 
intelligent  prospects.  The  man  who  sells  the  everyday  transaction 
by  means  of  letters  must  exercise  unusual  tact  and  judgment  and 
discernment.  Yes  and  no  are  rarely  sufficient  answers,  but  some- 
times they  are.  He  must  know  when.  It  is  as  bad  salesmanship 
to  over-answer  a  question  as  it  is  to  under-answer  or  ignore  it 
altogether.  Before  undertaking  his  work  at  all,  he  would  do  well 
to  look  up  the  words  assertive  and  affirmative  and  note  the  little 
distinctions  of  meaning  between  them.  Hosts  of  advertisers  and 
business  letter  writers  fail  because  they  do  not  distinguish  clearly 
between  these  words  and  their  meanings.  All  great  business 
composition  should  be  great  business  affirmation.  But  mere 
business-copy  assertion  deservedly  in  most  cases  means  customer 
or  prospect  desertion. 

The  one  who  answers  questions  must  aim  to  put  himself  in  the 
place  of  the  one  who  asks  them.  He  must  evince  a  desire  to 
serve,  and  a  desire  to  do  it  with  distinction  and  character.  Whether 
he  IS  answering  a  coupon  question,  a  trick  question,  or  a  question 
of  high  and  serious  import,  his  attitude  must  be  an  attitude  of 
service.  He  may  find  it  easy  and  convenient  to  write  on  the  query 
letter  :  "  See  enclosed  catalog,"  slip  it  into  an  envelope,  and  shove 
routine  work  off  his  desk.  But  this  procedure  will  be  automatism, 
not  correspondence.  A  machine  could  do  as  much  and  probably 
do  it  better.  He  may  find  it  easy  and  convenient  to  answer  a 
query  with  the  postcard  message  :  "  Our  Mr.  Jones  will  call  to  see 
you."  But  this  procedure  will  be  an  impertinence  and  Mr.  Jones 
a  pest.  As  a  method  of  following  up  business  inquiries,  the  follow-up 
call  has  long  since  been  "  legislated  out  "  by  prospects  intelligent 
enough  to  become  righteously  indignant  at  such  perversions  of 
their  questioning  and  intrusion  upon  their  time.  He  may  find  it 
easy  and  convenient  to  commit  numerous  other  correspondence 
sins  in  his  "  handling  "  of  the  daily  mail.  But  his  particular  work, 
above  that  of  all  others,  should  be  to  make  attention  to  daily 
correspondence  a  virtue.  If  he  "  handles  "  his  daily  mail  and 
treats  it  as  so  much  "  routine  "  to  "get  off  his  desk,"  he  is  the 
most  dangerous  man  a  firm  can  tolerate.  If  he  vivifies  and 
re-enforces  the  everyday  letters  that  pile  up  on  his  desk,  by  dealing 
with  each  one  as  a  business-building  opportunity,  he  is  the  most 
valuable  man  a  firm  can  "  have  associated  with  it." 

201 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


The  object  of  an  order  letter  is  to  get  something  done  in  the 
quickest,  the  most  convenient,  the  most  agreeable  way.  It  should 
be  specific  and  exact  in  every  detail.  The  order  that  is  misunder- 
standable,  retards  and  irritates.  In  a  letter  in  which  many  articles 
are  ordered,  a  graph  or  tabulation  form  should  be  used,  and  inter- 
mediate and  grand  totals  should  be  given.  A  definite  plan  should 
be  followed  in  the  composition  of  an  order  letter.  The  articles 
desired  should  come  first  with  exact  catalog  (or  other)  description 
covering  size,  price,  color,  quality,  quantity,  order  numbers,  and 
other  details.  This  should  be  followed  with  definite  instructions 
as  to  method  of  delivery,  whether  by  freight  or  express  or  post  or 
wagon  delivery,  and  as  to  method  of  payment,  whether  by  check 
or  enclosed  money  order  or  cash  payment  on  delivery.  In  a 
recently  published  mail  order  catalog  this  procedure  in  order 
letters  is  somewhat  tersely  and  colloquially,  tho  not  commendably, 
stated  as  follows : 


Tell 

us 

— What  you  want 
— How  you  want  it 
— Where  you  want  it 
— ^When  you  want  it 

and 
—R-E-M-I-T 

And  you 
there  and 

'11  get  it  just  exactly 
in  that  way. 

then  and 

Thank  you  ! 

Remittances  may  be  made  by  stamps  or  bills  or  coins  or  checks 
or  money  orders.  Stamps  should  not  be  used  for  remittances 
unless  the  sender  has  reason  to  know  that  they  will  be  acceptable. 
They  should  be  used  to  cover  small  amounts  only,  and  should  be 
enclosed  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  impair  the  gumming.  Coin  cards 
should  be  used  for  coin-enclosures.  Checks,  drafts,  and  money 
orders  are  the  safest  enclosures.     Bills  for  small  amounts  may  be 

202 


SELLING   THE   EVERYDAY   TRANSACTION 


enclosed,  but  this  method  of  making  remittances  is  always  attended 
with  some  risks. 

When  money  in  any  form  is  enclosed,  it  should  always  be  referred 
to  in  the  letter  that  accompanies  it,  and  the  amount  should  always 
be  indicated  by  both  words  and  figures.  The  "  enclosed  please 
find  "  bromide  may  best  be  avoided.  If  it  is  used,  however,  it 
should  be  made  to  read  correctly  :  "  Enclosed  find  two  dollars  ($2) 
for  which  please  send  me  .  .^  .  .  "  ;  not  incorrectly  as  it  is  so 
commonly  written  ;  "  Enclosed  please  find  Two  ($2)  Dollars,  for 
which  send  me  .  .  .  ."  The  words  indicating  amount  may  or 
may  not  be  capitalized. 

Technical  orders,  such  as  demand  highly  detailed  description 
and  explanation,  or  orders  that  run  to  great  length,  may  require 
considerable  time  and  difficulty  before  they  can  be  accurately 
and  completely  filled.  A  large  wholesale  purchasing  letter,  or  a 
contractor's  specification  letter  ordering  material  for  a  large  build- 
ing, for  instance,  may  require  study  and  analysis  that  necessitates 
an  order-and-acknowledgment  letter  sequence.  There  will  be 
letters  asking  for  estimates  and  quotations,  letters  calling  for 
modifications  of  plans  and  items,  letters  adding  to  or  subtracting 
from  original  quantities.  In  all  such  cases,  as  well  as  in  the  case 
of  smaller  orders  that  cannot  be  fully  or  immediately  filled,  it  is 
customary  to  make  use  of  an  acknowledgment  form,  giving  assur- 
ance that  the  order  will  be  filled  as  soon  as  possible.  Such  acknow- 
ledgment relieves  the  customer  of  any  suspense  regarding  his  order 
and  anticipates  or  forestalls  a  hurry-up  or  what's  wrong  letter  as  a 
follow-up  to  order. 

For  the  sake  of  accuracy,  dates  in  any  sort  of  business  transaction 
cannot  be  too  frequently  and  too  insistently  repeated.  The 
acknowledgment  of  an  order  should  state  exactly  when  it  was 
received.  If  there  has  been  any  discrepancy  between  the  date  on 
the  order  and  its  receipt,  this  should  be  definitely  stated.  The 
next  item  in  an  acknowledgment  of  order  should  state  how  and 
when  shipment  is  or  will  be  made,  and  if  these  matters  are  attended 
to  in  accordance  with  directions  in  the  order  letter,  the  customer 
should  be  reminded  that  such  is  the  case.  If  any  departure  from 
those  directions  lias  been  necessary,  it  should  be  carefully  and 
plausibly  explained.  These  details  may  be  followed,  as  a  rule, 
by   some   such   business-building   notes   as   appreciation   for   the 

203 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


order,  insistence  upon  prompt  notice  from  the  customer  in  case 
goods  are  not  satisfactorily  received,  and  a  sales  suggestion  along 
some  line  in  which  the  customer  may  be  thought  interested.  In 
many  cases  the  character  of  an  order  as  well  as  the  tone  of  the 
letter  in  which  it  is  presented,  gives  an  excellent  sales  suggestion 
cue  for  the  acknowledgment.  The  habit  of  "  reading  between  the 
lines  *'  of  orders  should  be  formed  early  and  indulged  freely  by 
those  who  are  engaged  in  selling  everyday  transactions  by  letter. 

Immediacy  is  the  most  imperative  consideration  in  acknow- 
ledgments. Whether  an  order  can  be  filled  promptly  or  not,  it 
should  be  promptly  acknowledged.  If  it  can  be  filled  at  once, 
the  acknowledgment  should  say  so.  If  it  cannot  be  filled  at  all, 
the  acknowledgment  should  say  why,  and,  if  possible,  direct  the 
prospect's  order  into  the  proper  trade  channel.  If  modification  of 
any  sort  is  necessary,  the  acknowledgment  should  be  especially 
prompt  and  explicit.  Definite  reasons  should  be  given  for  inability 
to  fill  the  order  and  forward  the  goods.  This  should  be  done  as 
far  as  possible  by  means  of  personal  letters,  but  in  enterprises 
where  large  numbers  of  acknowledgments  of  all  kinds  are  used, 
forms  such  as  are  above  referred  to,  have  to  be  used.  The  filling 
of  orders  may  have  to  be  delayed  because  of  errors  or  indefiniteness 
on  the  part  of  the  customer  in  making  them  out.  Catalog  numbers 
may  be  confused  ;  prices  may  be  wrongly  listed  ;  addition  of  items 
may  be  wrong  ;  provision  for  payment  may  be  omitted,  and  so 
forth.  In  any  such  event  the  letter  of  acknowledgment  becomes 
in  part  a  letter  of  claim  or  adjustment  (see  Chapter  V).  The 
required  revision  or  correction  must  be  made,  and  the  order  saved. 

Every  letter  of  acknowledgment  should  be  made  not  only  a 
good-will  retainer,  but  a  good-wiU  builder.  Its  aim  should  always 
be  to  make  new  orders  repeat  orders,  and  repeat  orders  increased 
orders.  It  should  especially  personalize  first  orders,  for  first- 
customer  impressions  are  the  most  lasting  of  all  first  impressions. 
If  forms  are  tabu  anywhere  in  merchandising  they  should  be 
especially  so  here  at  the  point  where  the  first  relation  is  made.  If 
they  are  used  here,  they  should  be  made  somewhat  fuller  and 
decidedly  more  refreshing  than  acknowledgment  forms  usually  are. 

The  letter  of  order  is  in  a  sense  a  letter  of  inquiry.  The  letter  of 
acknowledgment  is  in  the  same  sense  a  letter  of  information. 
The  person  who  thinks  enough  of  your  establishment  to  ask  it  a 

204 


SELLINCx   THE   EVERYDAY   TRANSACTION 


question,  is  worthy  of  having  his  name  placed  on  a  list  for  follow-up 
occasions.  The  person  who,  on  the  other  hand,  gives  you  informa- 
tion will  be  very  likely  to  be  interested  in  any  information  you 
may  be  able  to  afford  about  your  particular  business.  He,  too, 
may  be  profitably  listed.  The  fact  that  a  person  has  placed  an 
order  with  you,  is  the  very  best  of  reasons  for  assuming  that  he 
may  be  induced  to  place  other  and  larger  ones  with  you.  And 
again,  the  person  who  acknowledges  your  order  in  courteous  and 
considerate  terms  thereby  evinces  traits  that  interpret  him  as 
being  himself  a  desirable  prospect. 

In  other  words,  the  everyday  transaction  is  nine  times  out  of 
ten  mutually  salaWe.  It^is  rarely  a  transaction  of  all  give  or 
all  take.  It  invariably  means  sales  and  good-wiU  opportunity  at 
both  ends.  From  this  point  of  view  it  is  worth  all  the  skill  and 
sincerity  and  sagacity  that  the  everyday  business  letter  writer 
can  bring  to  bear. 


A  polite  and  explicit  request. 


You  hold  for  me,  I  believe,  a  Blake  Box 
Certificate  of  the  1918  issue. 

I  should  like  to  exchange  this  for  the 
new  Blake  Box  stock  issue  to  be  issued 
on  February  1. 

If  you  will  be  good  enough  to  send  the 
old  certificate  to  me  I  shall  make  the 
exchange,  and  then  return  the  new  stock 
to  you. 

Thank  you. 


205 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  polite  reply  to  the  foregoing  request. 


If  you  care  to  have  us  do  so,  we  shall  be 
glad  to  exchange  the  Blake  Box  certificate 
for  you. 

If,  however,  you  prefer  to  make  the  change 
yourself,  just  drop  us  a  word  to  this 
effect  in  the  enclosed  stamped  envelope. 

We  enclose  also  a  power  of  attorney  blank, 
properly  executed  for  you  to  sign,  in  case 
you  care  to  avail  yourself  of  our  services 
in  the  matter. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  add  that  it  is 
always  a  pleasure  for  us  to  serve  our 
customers  in  such  transactions  as  this. 


An  old  country  gentleman  writes  to 
the  hank  in  his  nephew's  behalf. 


My  nephew  has  just  succeeded  in  rounding  out 
the  sum  of  $1000.  from  his  earnings.  He  has  been 
accumulating  this  amount  in  the  Boston  Savings 
Bank,  and  he  would  now  like  to  withdraw  it  and 
invest  it  in  some  security. 

The  chief  considerations  are  safety,  convenience, 
and  interest.  He  is  just  starting  in  the  campaign 
that  it  is  necessary  for  all  men  to  make  anent  the 
proverbial  rainy  day.  And  of  course,  he  therefore 
wants  to  "  play  safe." 

I  should  be  obliged,  therefore,  if  you  would  go  into 
considerable  detail  in  your  reply,  not  only  as  to 
the  investments  themselves  but  also  as  to  what 
should  be  his  method  of  procedure  in  making  his 
purchases  thru  you. 

I  realize  that  this  is  a  particularly  small  amount  to 
ask  a  house  of  your  size  to  consider.  But  mighty 
oaks  from  little  acorns  grow  ! 


206 


SELLING  THE   EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


And  the  bank  not  only  replies,  but 
"  warms  "  to  the  old  gentleman. 


We  are  very  glad  indeed  to  be  of  service  to  your 
nephew,  thru  you,  toward  a  safe  start  in  investing 
his  money. 

Attached  to  this  sheet  you  will  find  a  list  of  issues 
that  we  consider  amply  secured.  The  present 
market  rates  and  interest  yield  are  indicated  in 
all  cases.  There  is  in  addition  a  brief  explanation 
of  each  of  the  securities  listed. 

The  prices  mentioned  are  of  course  subject  to  con- 
firmation by  us  immediately  before  purchase  is 
made. 

Any  order  you  may  intrust  to  us  will  be  executed 
to  your  best  possible  advantage,  in  accordance 
with  the  market  prevailing  at  the  time  it  is  received. 

Thank  you  for  consulting  us.  And  let  us  add, 
please,  that  no  amount  of  money  is  too  small  for 
us  to  consider  in  such  a  worthy  connection. 


A  request  based  upon  a  condition 
that  is  clearly  explained. 


I  have  confidential  advice  to  the  effect 
that  the  new  Galveston  Oil  Company 
stock  promises  to  be  a  tremendously  good 
investment. 

It  is  my  intention  to  buy  some  provided  I 
can  prevail  upon  you  to  lend  me  $10,000. 
for  six  months  at  not  more  than  six  per 
cent. 

I  shall  put  the  Galveston  Oil  stock  up 
as  collateral,  along  with  a  hundred  shares 
of  Brazilian  Rubber.  If  you  require  more 
by  way  of  security,  I  think-  I  can  satisfy 
you. 

Your  reply  is  awaited  with  much  interest. 


207 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


Showing  a  polite  follow-up 
interest  in  service  extension 
to  a  new  customer. 


May  we  ask  your  attention  to  the  following  in  con- 
nection with  the  account  you  have  recently  favored 
us  with  ? 


In  order  to  distribute  the  work  of  our  accounting 
department  in  such  a  way  as  to  avoid  confusion 
and  congestion,  we  should  like  to  rule  off  your 
account  and  send  you  your  monthly  statement  on 
the  first  Friday  of  each  month. 


This  will  enable  us  to  render  you  a  better  service, 
we  are  sure,  than  any  other  arrangement  that 
can  now  be  foreseen.  But  if  it  is  not  entirely 
agreeable  to  you,  we  shall  of  course  attempt  any 
other  plan  that  you  think  will  be  more  convenient 
for  you. 

At  any  rate,  we  shall  appreciate  your  confirmation  of 
this  plan,  or  any  suggestion  for  revision  that  you 
may  care  to  make. 


Thank  you. 


208 


SELLING  THE   EVERYDAY   TRANSACTION 


A  valuable  good-will  acknowledgment. 


The  advertisement  featuring 


gloves 


has  just  been  brought  to  my  attention,  and 
I  want  to  thank  you  most  generously  for  it. 

It  is  a  very  great  compliment  to  the 


line  to  be  given  the  endorsement  of  an 
organization  as  conservative  and  as  insis- 
tent upon  high-quality  merchandise  as 
your  house  is  so  well  known  to  be. 

We  shall  most  assuredly  endeavor  to  Hve 
up  to  the  reputation  that  you  have 
kindly  helped  to  give  us.  We  hope  that 
any  service  we  may  be  privileged  to 
extend  you  will  in  every  way  warrant 
the  confidence  that  you  have  expressed. 


Informal  hut  businesslike 
acknowledgment. 


Glad  to  hear  from  you. 

Drop  in  at  10.30  tomorrow  and  I 
shall  make  it  a  point  to  be  imme- 
diately at  your  service. 

Sorry  you  missed  me  the  last  tijie 
you  were  here,  but  unexpected 
matters  kept  me  away  from  my 
desk  all  that  morning. 

Here  is  a  little  statement  from  the 
Squires  people.  Very  interesting 
dividend,  isn't  it  ? 


209 


14— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  definite  and  clean-cut  acknowledgment. 


Your  certified  copy  of  a  resolution 

covering    your    authority     to     sign 

checks  and  other  papers  in  behalf  of 

the  Blaine  Tobacco  Company    was 

received  by  us  on  July  12. 

This  document  has  been  placed  in 

the    proper    files    and    we    shall    be 

governed  by  its  provisions  in  future 

business    pertaining    to    the    Blaine 

Tobacco  Company. 

The  cards  that  you  requested  for  a 

new  set  of  signatures  for  all  those 

now    having    signatory    power    are 

enclosed. 

Thank  you  for  your  prompt  attention 

to  our  request. 


An  acknowledgment  that  bespeaks 
the  right  sort  oj  cooperative  spirit. 


We  have  just  received  your  letter  of  the 
tenth. 

A  copy  of  the  wire  that  precedes  this  letter 
is  enclosed. 

The  case  of  your  customer  is  similar  to 
that  of  a  great  many  others  here.  We 
do  not  like  to  take  on  any  of  the  money 
except  on  a  time  basis,  or  with  a  reason- 
able notice  of  call  such  as  you  outline. 
It  is  important  that  we  have  a  prompt 
reply  to  the  query  in  our  telegram.  If 
you  have  not  replied  to  it  by  the  time 
you  receive  this  letter,  will  you  please 
do  scfimmediately  the  letter  comes  to  you? 

This  is  not  asked  with  the  sHghtest  inten- 
tion to  rush  you.  But  we  are  obliged  to 
request  promptness  because  there  are 
some  other  interests  up  here  for  us  to 
deal  with,  after  we  have  given  you  the 
first  opportunity. 
We  appreciate  your  writing  us  as  you  did. 


210 


SELLING  THE   EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


A  refreshing  everyday  letter 
that  has  sound  sales  quality 
linked  with  personal  interest. 


This  is  simply  to  say  that  we  greatly  appreciate 
the  account  you  are  maintaining  with  us,  and  to 
call  your  attention  to  a  few  of  the  facilities  we 
are  prepared  to  offer. 


We  should  be  pleased  to  have  you  avail  yourself 
of  the  benefit  of  our  interest  arrangement.  We 
pay  two  per  cent  per  annum  on  daily  balances, 
provided  the  average  for  the  month  amounts  to 
$10,000.  or  more. 


Your  name  will  be  placed  on  the  mailing  list  of  our 
publication  office,  if  you  do  not  object.  This  will 
enable  you  to  receive  all  of  our  regular  and  occasional 
publications,  among  which  you  will  probably  find 
the  Monthly  Bulletin  especially  helpful. 


We  enclose  a  par  list  which  indicates  a  considerably 
enlarged  number  of  discretionary  places.  Items 
sent  to  us  for  the  credit  of  your  account,  coming 
within  the  discretionary  list,  will  be  accepted  by 
us  at  par. 


Your    inquiries    regarding    any    financial    matters 
whatever  are  constantly  solicited. 


211 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Direct,   lucid,   courteous,   and  brief. 


You  have  a  note  of  ours  for 

$1,000,000. 

which  matures  on  May  24. 

This  is  secured,  as  you  will 

recall. 

by  certificates  of  the  United 

States 

Government  for  a  similar  amoimt,       | 

due  on  the  same  date. 

May  we  ask  you  to  collect 

these  ? 

And    will    you     please     credit    our       | 

account    with    the     amount 

plus 

interest  allowed  ?     Of  course, 

charge 

our  account  with  the  amount  due       | 

to  you. 

We  shall  be  greatly  obUged 

to  you 

for  this  service. 

A  polite  and  generous  acknowledgment. 


In  a  separate  envelope  we  are 
sending  to  you  copies  of  the 
following  publications  : 

South  American  Exports 
Cooperation  in  Credits 
Publicity  and  Service 
The  American  Bank  in  China 
The  New  Oil  Investments 

We  trust  that  these  will  provide  you 
with  the  information  requested  in 
your  letter  of  April   10. 

If  we  can  be  of  further  service,  please 
call  upon  us. 


212 


SELLING  THE  EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


A  direct  and,  elucidating  reply  to  a  request. 


Today  I  am  sending  you  one  of  the  binders  for 
the  Bulletins. 

Your  letter  of  February  28  remained  unanswered 
for  a  few  days,  I  regret  to  say,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  we  have  recently  opened  new  offices  at  1012  Park 
Buildings,  Worcester,  Mass. 

The  issue  of  the  Bulletin  for  February  15  was 
very  slow  coming  from  the  press,  but  we  hope  that 
you  received  your  copy  in  ample  time  for  your 
purposes. 

It  would  be  helpful  to  us  to  have  comments  or 
suggestions  from  you  in  regard  to  the  work  we  are 
trying  to  do.  Feel  assured  that  your  interest 
is  appreciated,  and  that  any  criticism  you  may 
have  to  make  of  our  work  will  be  given  serious 
consideration. 


An  acknowledgment  that  does  considerably 
more  than  merely  answer. 


The  five  dollars  sent  with  your  letter  of  January 
fourth  entitles  you  to  a  membership  in  the  association. 
We  have  changed  your  address  to  the  one  given  in 
your  letter. 

The  report  of  the  last  conference  is  being  rushed, 
and  we  hope  to  have  it  out  about  February  first. 
The  first  number  of  the  Bulletin  will  be  out  this 
week.  Your  membership  covers  a  copy  of  the 
annual  report  and  also  copies  of  all  Bulletins  issued. 

We  should  be  very  glad  indeed  to  have  you  with 
us  at  our  convention  in  Chicago.  In  the  past  no 
special  credentials  have  been  necessary  for  admission 
to  the  convention,  and  it  is  altogether  probable 
that  none  will  be  necessary  at  future  meetings. 
We  shall  keep  you  informed  on  this  point,  however, 
in  case  any  change  of  poHcy  is  decided  upon. 

You  will  find  the  report  of  the  last  conference 
simply  crammed  with  constructive  material  which 
will  be  of  assistance  to  you  in  your  work  as 
correspondence  supervisor. 


213 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Facts  and  figures  unmistakably  stated. 


We  are  enclosing  a  rate  card  for  your  perusal  which, 
we  beheve,  will  answer  your  queries  regarding  the 
advertising  rates  in  the  New  York  Herald. 

Full  page  advertisements  measure  300  lines  to  the 
column,  eight  columns  to  the  page,  making  a  total 
of  2400  lines  to  the  page,  1200  lines  to  the  half 
page,  and  600  lines  to  the  quarter  page.  In  solid 
agate  type,  count  six  ordinary  words  to  the  line 
and  fourteen  lines  to  the  inch. 

The  circulation  of  the  New  York  Herald  regularly 
exceeds  200,000  copies  daily.  It  is,  with  one  excep- 
tion, the  largest  high-class  quality  circulating  morning 
newspaper  in  the  New  York  newspaper  field. 

We  shall  be  glad  to  render  you  further  service  by 
way  of  submitting  proofs  and  estimates,  if  you  care 
to  have  us  do  so. 


No  mere  receipt,  hut  a  personal  acknowledgment. 


The  enclosed  official  receipt  shows  that  our  treasurer, 
Mr.  Albert  H.  Wiggin,  has  received  your  recent 
contribution  to  the  United  Hospital  Fund. 

I  am  taking  the  privilege  of  sending  with  it  just 
a  word  to  express  my  personal  appreciation  of  your 
kindness.  Will  you  accept  this  also  as  a  wireless 
message  of  thanks  from  your  unknown  beneficiaries 
who,  lying  in  the  quiet  of  clean  hospital  beds, 
will  be  certain  to  think  gratefully  of  you  ? 

The  appeal  of  the  United  Hospital  Fund  to  the 
success  of  which  you  have  contributed,  has  brought 
home  to  the  heart  of  our  community  as  never 
before,  the  great  service  of  our  hospitals.  It  is 
a  permanent  need  for  which  I  plead  a  permanent 
place  in  your  thoughts. 

If  at  any  time  you  are  interested  in  some  one  who 
should  have  free  hospital  treatment,  please  com- 
municate with  Mr.  F.  D.  Greene,  105  East  22  Street. 
He  will  be  glad  to  arrange  for  admission  to  the 
proper  hospital. 


214 


SELLING   THE   EVERYDAY   TRANSACTION 


The  newspaper  queries  man 
goes  to  some  length  to  make  a 
difficult  point  clear. 


We  have  your  letter  of  Tuesday,  raising  the  question 
as  to  which  of  the  following  forms  of  punctuation  is 
correct  : 


(1)    When  did  you  last  hear  him  say,    "Where 
are  the  heroes  now  ?  " 


(2)    When  did  you  last  hear  him  say,    "  Where 
are  the  heroes  now  "  ? 


The  highest  authority  on  our  editorial  staff  states 
that  both  forms  are  in  use  and  that  De  Vinne  uses 
both.  Of  course,  from  a  strictly  purist  point  of 
view,  there  should  be  two  interrogation  marks,  one  for 
the  first  query  to  come  after  the  quotation  marks  and 
another  for  the  second  query  to  be  placed  before  the 
quotation  marks.  Usage  has  eliminated  one  of  these, 
and  logically  the  dominant  question  :  When  did  you 
last  hear  him  say,  should  retain  the  question  mark 
outside  of  the  quotation  marks.  This  usage  would 
now  hold  and  be  grammatically  correct  were  it  not 
for  the  fact  that  typists  and  printers,  not  accustomed 
to  a  double  question,  have  come  to  make  it  a  rule 
always  to  place  the  question  mark  inside  of  the 
quotations  whenever  that  combination  occurs.  As 
printers  have  much  to  do  with  grammatical  usage, 
you  can  see  that  their  habit,  even  if  logically  incorrect, 
goes  far  toward  establishing  a  rule.  The  fact  that 
they  think  No.  1  has  a  better  and  neater  appearance 
has,  doubtless,  much  to  do  with  its  adoption  in 
composing  rooms. 

You  will  see  from  the  above  that  either  form  may 
be  supported,  but  that  No.  2  is  logically  correct. 

The composing  room  uses  form  No.  2. 


215 


BUSINESS   LETTER  WRITING 


An   obliging   acknowledgment 
from  a  large  department  shop. 


Thank  you. 

Always  glad  to  co-operate. 

Here  is  a  list  of  words  misspelled  during  the  current 

term  by  the  students  in  our  continuation  classes. 

This  is  a  meager  contribution  to  youi 

■  cause,   but 

we  shall  send  you  some  longer  lists  later. 

At  present 

we  are  listing  the  words  misspelled  by 

sales  clerks 

in   writing  checks.     These  ought  to   be  interesting 

for  you   and   your  colleagues,   and  yoL 

I  shall  have 

them  as  soon  as  they  are  ready. 

But  I  trust  the  following  may  be  useful  to  you  : 

4 

advertising     courtesy              hemstitch 

salable 

aisle                  cravenette           intelligent 

salary 

alpaca              creditor               khaki 

sateen 

answer             crepe  de  Chine  mercerized 

satin 

apparel            customer             moccasin 

schedule 

applique          debit                    mohair 

selvage 

batiste             debtor                  moire 

silesia 

business           draft                    negligee 

statistics 

challis              employee             overalls 

suede 

chemise           etamine               passementerie 

taffeta 

chenille            experience           peau  de  soie 

trousseau 

clerical            facsimile             pretty 

umbrella 

clerk                fichu                     remnant 

Valenciennes 

counter            flannel                 requisite 

vici 

courteous        guarantee            retail 

velveteen 

216 


SELLING   THE   EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


The  tabulated  form  adds  much 
to   the   clarity   of  this   letter. 


We  are  pleased  to  report  as  follows  on  your  inquiry- 
regarding  the  use  of  the  word  after  : 

When  used   with   a   progressive   tense   the    word 
after  indicates 

1.  an  action  about  to  take  place 

2.  completed  action,  cf.  Fr.  venir  de 

3.  present  action  (in  this  sense  it  is  freq.  otiose) 

(1)  Inverness — I  will  be  after  telling  him  (I  will 

tell  him)   (HEF) 
Cheshire — He's  after  taking  another  farm 
East  Anglia — The  hen  is  after  laying 

(2)  Inverness — I  am  after  telUng  him   (I  have 

just  told  him)   (HEF) 
Ireland — I  am  after  dining   (I  have  dined) 
(GMH) 

(3)  Ireland — Is     it     Lanigan     you'd     be     after 

comparin'  me  to  ? 

Our  information  is  based  upon  the  EngHsh  Dialect 
Dictionary,  ed.  Joseph  Wright  (Oxford),  pub. 
Putnam. 

Thank  you  for  the  privilege  of  helping  you  out. 


An  acknowledgment,  a  declination, 
and  a  request,  all  in  one. 


Thank  you  for  your  invitation  of  the  tenth  to  meet 
and  hear  Dr.  Morgan  at  your  house  on  the  evening 
of  the  twentieth. 

I  don't  believe  that  I  shall  be  able  to  accept.  But 
would  your  courtesy  permit  me  to  pass  the  invitation 
along  to  Mr.  James  E.  Pearsall  in  case  I  am  unable  to 
be  present  ? 

He,  I  suspect,  would  understand  and  appreciate  the 
talk  better  than  I. 

You  are  very  kind  to  think  of  me  in  this  connection, 
and  I  thank  you  again. 


217 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  letter  from  a  foreign  hank,  that  may 
he  interestingly  compared  with  American 
hanking  letters.  Note  the  salutation  and 
the  complimentary  closing.  Note  also 
the  conservative  phraseology  and  the 
capitalization. 


Dear  Sir, 

I  have  your  lettervof  the  thirtieth  and  I  am  glad 
to  inform  you  that  it  will  afford  us  pleasure  to  open 
an  account  in  your  name  on  being  furnished  with 
the  usual  introduction. 

Moneys  are  received  by  the  Bank  on  Deposit, 
subject  to  seven  days'  notice  of  withdrawal,  upon 
which  Interest  is  allowed  at  the  London  Bankers 
advertised  fluctuating  rate  for  moneys  subject  to 
such  notice,  which  is  at  the  moment  5% .  For  amounts 
of  ;^500  and  upwards,  fixed  for  periods  of  three 
and/or  six  months,  we  should  be  prepared  to  quote 
fractionally  higher  rates  of  Interest,  which  at  the 
present  time  would  be  J%  and  \%  above  the 
fluctuating  seven  days  notice  rate. 

Our  customers'  instructions  in  regard  to  the  pur- 
chase and  sale  of  stocks  and  shares  always  receive  our 
careful  attention,  and  we  should  at  any  time  be 
pleased  to  refer  to  leading  Brokers  on  the  London 
Stock  Exchange  for  their  advice  regarding  the  Invest- 
ments you  have  in  mind.  It  is  not  the  custom  of 
English  Banks  to  deal  in  Real  Estate,  but  we 
should,  no  doubt,  be  able  to  put  you  in  touch  with 
firms  in  that  Market. 

Neither  do  the  Banks  here  undertake  Insurance, 
but  if  you  will  kindly  give  us  particulars  of  the 
business  you  wish  to  arrange,  we  shall  be  pleased  to 
give  you  the  names  of  two  or  more  Insurance 
Companies. 

If  you  decide  to  open  an  account  with  us,  will  you 
please  complete  the  enclosed  signature  card  and 
slip,  returning  them  to  us  through  your  home  bankers 
who  should,  please,  be  requested  to  confirm  your 
signatures. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain 

,  Yours  faithfully. 


218 


SELLING   THE   EVERYDAY   TRANSACTION 


Note  the  somewhat  different 
tone  from  that  in  an  American 
letter  of  the  same  sort. 


Dear  Sir, 

I  venture  to  solicit  your  sympathetic  and  practical 
co-operation  in  an  effort  to  raise  the  entire  cost  of  the 
Mayflower  Sailors'  Hostel,  The  Octagon,  Plymouth, 
which  is  to  be  opened  on  September  6th,  and  will  be 
included  in  the  official  programme  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers'  Tercentenary  Celebrations.  The  enclosed 
leaflet  briefly  indicates  the  work  already  accomplished, 
and  the  proposals  for  the  future  accommodation  of 
all  Sailors  visiting  this  Port. 

The  Committee  feels  that  there  cannot  be  a  more 
fitting  memorial  to  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  or  to  the 
Sailors  who  bravely  encountered  such  risks  during  the 
War,  than  the  scheme  here  outlined,  and  confidently 
anticipate  your  support. 

The  Hostel  and  the  old  Plymouth  Sailors'  Home 
in  Vauxhall  Street  are  now  united  under  the  auspices 
of  the  British  &  Foreign  Sailors'  Society  with  one 
local  committee  (of  which  I  am  Chairman  and  Presi- 
dent), and  they  are  devoting  their  energies  to  the 
welfare  of  the  Sailor  in  Plymouth,  thereby  eliminating 
any  possibility  of  overlapping.  It  is  hoped  that  the 
opening  ceremony  may  be  performed  in  the  presence 
of  the  Prime  Minister  (the  Rt.  Hon.  David  Lloyd 
George,  O.M.),  the  American  Ambassador  (His 
Excellency  The  Hon.  John  W.  Davis),  The  Rt.  Hon. 
The  Earl  of  Reading,  Viscount  and  Viscountess 
Astor,  and  distinguished  visitors  from  the  United 
States  of  America. 

I  shall  be  most  grateful  if  you  will  kindly  fill  in 
the  enclosed  form  and  send  it  to  me  with  your 
contribution  prior  to  the  opening  ceremony. 

Yours  faithfully, 


219 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


An  explicitly  itemized  acknowledgment 
of  order. 


Thank  you  for  your  generous  order  of  August  29. 

We  are  sending  you  today  by  American   Railway 
Express,  prepaid,  the  following  books  : 


Booker  Washington,  by  Scott 


$2.00 


Cecil  Rhodes,  by  Mitchell  (2  vols.)      .  .  .        7.50 

Clara  Barton,  by  Epler      .  .  .  .  .2.50 

Juha  Ward  Howe,  by  Richards  (2  vols.)     .  .        4.00 

Leo  Tolstoi,  by  Tolstoi     .  .  .  .  .2.00 

Mark  Twain,  by  Paine  (3  vols.)  .  .  .        4.50 

Mons.  Benson,  by  Martindale  (2  vols.) .       .  .        5.00 

Pierpont  Morgan,  by  Hovey  ....  2.50 
Life  and  Letters  of  Henry  Irving,  by  Irving  (3  vols.)  4.50 
Life  and  Letters  of  Susan  B.  Anthony,  by  Harper(3  vols)  7.50 

Total $42.00 


We  have  been  unable  to  locate  Blanchard's  Plain 
Talks  on  Advertising  for  you,  and  we  are  informed 
that  Brooke's  Quaint  and  Curious  Advertisements 
is  out  of  print. 

Enclosed  you  will  find  some  interesting  book 
offerings  that  we  are  privileged  to  make  to  our 
regular  customers  beginning  next  Thursday,  August 
31,  and  continuing  for  two  weeks.  Two  shelves 
that  we  think  may  be  of  particular  interest  to 
you  contain  some  very  exceptional  opportunities 
in  advertising  and  biographical  titles.  You  will 
find  these  at  the  top  of  the  stairway  in  the  rear 
of  the  shop. 


Thank  you  again. 


220 


SELLING   THE   EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 

An  obliging  acknowledgment  explaining  delay 
and  providing  for  assured  follow-up. 


Your  order  for  a  supply  of  our  booklet  "  Rubber, 
A  Wonder  Story  "  has  not  been  filled  because  of  our 
inability  to  procure  the  necessary  paper  for  printing. 
A  sufficient  quantity  is  now  being  manufactured, 
but  too  late  to  print  the  booklets  for  this  school 
year. 

We  regret  exceedingly  the  inconvenience  caused 
you  and  your  students  by  the  non-arrival  of  the 
copies  you  ordered.  While  we  realize  that  no 
explanation  of  our  difficulties  can  be  half  as  pleasant 
to  you  as  the  receipt  of  your  booklets,  in  view  of 
the  abnormal  conditions  we  hope  you  will  accept 
our  apologies. 

When  the  paper  arrives  the  booklets  will  be  printed 
and  will  be  ready  for  distribution  at  the  beginning 
of  the  fall  term.  If  you  will  fill  in,  on  the  enclosed 
card,  your  address  for  the  next  school  year,  the 
date  the  school  opens,  and  the  number  of  booklets 
you  can  use,  they  will  be  shipped  to  reach  you 
soon  after  the  opening  day. 


And  the  follow-up  was  not  forgotten  tho  some  months 
expired  between  the  former  acknowledgment  and  this  letter. 


The  copies  of  "  Rubber,  A  Wonder  Story "  for 
which  you  wrote  recently  have  been  shipped  to 
you  today.  If  they  do  not  arrive  promptly  please 
notify  us  so  that  they  may  be  traced.  The  delay 
in  forwarding  them  to  you  was  caused  by  the 
abnormal  conditions  in  the  printing  and  paper 
trades  which  postponed  their  publication. 

After  these  booklets  have  been  read  in  class,  will 
you  present  copies  to  the  children,  so  that  they 
may  consider  them  their  personal  property  ?  Should 
you  desire  more  copies  at  any  time  they  will  be 
supplied  to  you  on  request  free  of  all  charges. 

Your  criticisms  and  suggestions  as  to  the  bettering 
of  this  booklet  will  assist  us  greatly  in  our  educa- 
tional work.  A  number  of  other  similar  booklets 
are  now  being  planned  and  we  hope  soon  to  be  in 
a  position  to  bring  them  to  your  attention. 

Will  you  please  fill  out  and  return  the  enclosed 
card  when  you  receive  the  booklets  ? 

221 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


To  hosiery  buyers  who  some- 
times wish  information  regard- 
ing the  manufacture  of  silk 
hosiery. 


Several  of  the  processes  thru  which  the  silk  passes  in 
the  manufacture  of  silk  hosiery  are  very  much  the 
same  as  those  used  in  the  manufacture  of  chiffons, 
ribbons,  piece-silks,  and  velvets. 

All  of  the  earlier  operations,  indeed,  are  the  same. 
The  point  of  departure  is  where  the  raw  thread  is 
dyed  in  the  skein.  From  this  point  on,  special 
machinery  is  required  for  the  manufacture  of  hosiery. 

The  earlier  processes  for  the  raw  silk — a  sample  of 
which  we  are  sending  you  under  separate  cover — 
consist  of  soaking,  rubbing,  winding  from  the  skein  on 
to  the  spool,  doubling  the  threads  into  the  number 
required  for  the  individual  article  (in  our  case  any- 
where from  three  to  twelve),  and  then  spinning  or 
twisting.  This  last  process  combines  the  separate 
threads  into  a  single  strand .  The  finished  and  larger 
strands  are  put  back  into  skeins  for  the  purpose  of 
dyeing  into  colors,  or  into  white  or  black. 

These  earlier  processes  are  all  handled  in  our  own 
factory,  under  our  own  supervision.  The  dyed  silk 
skein  is  sent  to  the  knitting  factory,  where  it  is  again 
put  on  a  spool,  and  later  on  a  cone.  It  is  then  taken  to 
the  knitting  machines  which  make  anywhere  from 
one  to  eighteen  stockings  at  a  time,  one  in  the  case  of 
very  elaborate  and  expensive  novelties,  and  eighteen 
in  the  case  of  the  plainest  and  simplest  styles. 

The  leg  of  the  stocking  is  made  on  one  machine  and  the 
foot  on  another.  When  the  two  parts  are  united  the 
pairs  are  joined  at  the  toes  and  heels,  seamed  up  the 
back,  mended,  boarded  on  shapes  to  remove  all 
wrinkles,  mended  again,  and  then  finally  inspected. 

This  is  the  last  of  many  inspections  that  are  made 
thruout  the  process  of  manufacture.  The  hose  are  then 
boxed  and  put  on  a  shelf  for  shipment  later  to  the 
various  retail  stores  of  the  country. 

In  addition  to  the  skein  of  raw  silk,  we  are  also 
sending  a  small  piece  of  dyed  silk,  and  specimens  of 
the  fabric  at  the  various  stages  of  manufacture. 


222 


SELLING  THE   EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


Immediate  attention  ! 


To  THE  Members  of : 

Please  telegraph  at  once  to  your  Senator  and  to 
Senator  George  W.  Norris,  Chairman  of  the  Senate 
Patent  Committee,  asking  for  immediate  action  on  the 
Bill  for  restoring  International  Copyrights  lost  during 
the  War,  now  pending  in  Senator  Norris'  Committee. 

This  Bill  passed  the  House  of  Representatives 
without  opposition  and  is  intended  to  make  it 
possible  to  reestablish  in  the  United  States  copy- 
rights of  foreign  authors,  which  were  lost  during 
the  War,  provided  that  the  countries  of  which  the 
foreign  authors  are  citizens  grant  similar  rights  to 
citizens  of  the  United  States.  During  the  War 
many  Americans  lost  valuable  rights,  in  Great 
Britain  especially,  arid  it  is  only  by  the  passage  of 
this  Bill  that  these  rights  can  be  restored. 

The  present  session  of  Congress  is  drawing  to  a 
close,  and  unless  the  Bill  passes  in  this  session 
there  is  little  hope  of  obtaining  relief  for  those  who 
have  lost  their  international  copyrights  during 
the  last  four  or  five  years.  Please  telegraph,  as 
requested  above,  immediately. 


An  obliging  reply  to  a  casual  inquiry. 


Thanks  for  your  inquiry. 

We  are  sending  you  a  copy  of  the  brochure 
"  What  Leading  Medical  Journals  and 
Health  Magazines  say  about  Separate 
Beds  and  Sound  Sleep."  We  hope 
that  the  information  contained  therein 
will  be  of  interest  to  you  and  will  also 
help  you  in  the  selection  of  your  beds  in 
the  future. 

Should   you  at  any  time   be  desirous  of 

obtaining    ,     ,     or    other 

products  and  are  unable  to  find  a  dealer 
who  has  just  what  you  want,  please  com- 
municate with  us  and  we  will  refer  you 
to  one  who  carries  our  complete  line. 


223 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  chatty  reply  to  an  inquiry  order. 


Thank  you  very  much  for  your  letter  of  June  17 
with  remittance  of  $10. 

We  sent  you  promptly  the  Romance  of  Business, 
and  yesterday  I  had  the  folks  send  you  the  only 
two  copies  of  Great  Business  Men  that  we  had  in 
stock.  These  are  de  luxe  books,  as  you  will  see. 
They  are  beautifully  bound,  and  are  exceedingly  rare 
(there  will  be  no  more  of  them  Hke  these  produced). 
Little  Journeys  now  are  got  out  only  in  complete 
sets  and  we  are  not  able  to  supply  the  single  volumes. 

These  books  at  $10.  each  are  cheap,  and  could  not 
be  reproduced  for  this  nowadays.  This  is  the  only 
set  we  have  left,  and  I  am  sending  it  on  to  you  on 
approval.  You  will  see  that* we  have  given  you 
a  special  discount  on  the  books,  just  because  of 
our  appreciation  of  your  friendship  and  continued 
patronage.  Of  course,  you  may  send  them  back, 
but  my  advice  to  you  would  be  to  keep  them. 


The  two  letters  below  were  written  hy  two 
different  American  hanks  in  reply  to  a 
letter  from  a  hank  in  India.  They  afford 
opportunity  for  some  interesting  comparisons. 

1. 


Your  letter  of  November  16  is  most  opportune.  For 
the  past  month  we  have  been  inquiring  about  banks 

located  in to  act  in  the  capacity  of  an  affiUate, 

for  practically  the  same  reasons  that  compel  you  to 
seek  a  representative  here. 

Your  name  was  suggested  by  our  correspondent  in 
London,  Brown,  Shipley  &  Co.  who,  we  understand, 
represent  your  interests  in  London.  Since  we  are 
both  friends  of  Brown,  Shipley  &  Co.  and  Brown 
Brothers  &  Co.,  it  is  but  natural  that  we  should  serve 
each  other  in  our  respective  countries  to  the  advantage 
oi  ?^l\  concerned. 

\CotUd.  on  p.  225 

224 


SELLING  THE  EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


Contd.  from  p.  224] 

You  probably  know  of  our  many  affiliates  and 
branches  thruout  South  and  Central  America. 
These  have  been  a  valuable  source  of  credit 
information  and  we  hold  our  files  at  your  disposal. 

Of  late  we  have  had  many  collections  on  your  country 
and  have  experienced  no  small  amount  of  difficulty  in 
having  them  properly  handled.  It  is  likely  that  you 
also  have  many  collections  in  the  United  States.  The 
volume  of  this  business  is  becoming  greater  each  year 
and  must  have  the  proper  attention.  Should  you  feel 
that  you  would  find  it  agreeable  to  have  us  as  your 
representative  in  this  country,  we  shall  be  pleased 
to  act  for  you  here. 

We  submit  the  following  terms  for  your  consideration. 
These  are  practically  the  same  arrangements  that 
bind  our  affairs  with  Brown,  Shipley  &  Co.,  London. 
The  business  is  conducted  on  a  reciprocal  basis. 

In  consideration  of  our  forwarding  collections  thru 
your  bank  you  will  maintain  on  our  books  an  average 
daily  credit  balance  of  $50,000.  We  shall  keep  our 
account  with  you  in  credit  for  the  equivalent  of  this 
amount  in  Sterling.  On  this  credit  balance  we  shall 
allow  you  interest  at  3%  per  annum. 

Further,  we  shall  grant  you  an  acceptance  line  of 
$1,000,000.  outstanding  at  any  one  time  until  this 
agreement  is  dissolved.  Of  this  amount  $500,000. 
must  be  secured  by  merchandise  shipped  from  your 
country  and  the  balance  to  create  dollar  exchange 
when  needed. 

When  conditions  warrant,  you  may  overdraw  your 
account  up  to  $200,000.,  this  overdraft  to  be  covered 
by  remittances  in  the  following  mail. 

For  information  concerning  our  affairs  you  are  at 
liberty  to  address  the  Guaranty  Trust  Co.,  of  New 
York,  the  Central  Union  Trust  Co.,  of  New  York,  and 
the  National  Shawmut  Bank,  of  Boston. 

We  appreciate  greatly  your  writing  us  on  the  subject, 
and  hope  that  our  dealings  will  help  increase  trade 
between  our  countries. 


225 

15— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


2. 


Your  offer  to  serve  us  in  connection  with  our  banking 

business  in  ,  as  contained  in  your  letter  of 

November  16,  is  very  much  appreciated. 

Your  proposition  is  indeed  very  interesting  to  us, 

particularly  as  our  business  in has  grown  to 

such  an  extent  that  we  may  possibly  be  in  a  position 
to  estabhsh  additional  relations  there.  We  should  be 
pleased  to  have  you  advise  us  of  your  terms  for  the 
handling  of  our  transactions  which  consist  principally 
of  collections,  dollar  and  sterling  drafts,  and  occasional 
payments  which  we  may  order  by  cable  or  letter. 

We  are  enclosing  a  schedule  of  terms  which  we  should 
apply  to  transactions  passing  over  an  account  in  your 
name  and  which  we  should  be  pleased  to  open  for  you. 
You  will  note  that  interest  on  your  deposits  will  be 
credited  at  3|%  per  annum,  until  further  notice. 
We  particularly  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  our 
Commercial  Credit  Division  as  well  as  our  Collection 
Division.  For  payments  against  shipping  documents 
we  charge  ^  of  1%  while  confirmation  of  credits 
estabHshed  at  your  request  will  cost  you  ^  %  extra. 
This  commission  will  be  charged  at  the  time  of  the 
opening  of  the  credit  and  it  will  not  be  refunded  in  case 
the  credit  is  not  used. 

Our  Credit  Department  will  be  glad  to  famish  you 
with  whatever  information  you  may  desire  on 
concerns  in  this  country.  We  have  information  on 
hand  covering  practically  every  concern  of  any 
importance  in  the  United  States.  Where  no  informa- 
tion is  on  hand  we  are  prepared  to  obtain  reports  for 
you,  free  of  charge. 

Should  you  be  interested  in  the  stock  market, 
kindly  advise  us  and  our  Bond  Department  will 
gladly  give  you  advice  and  information  free  of  all 
cost.  This  department  is  further  prepared  to  execute 
any  order  for  you,  charging  the  actual  brokerage 
that  we  ourselves  have  to  pay. 

We  hope  that  a  mutually  satisfactory  relationship 
may  be  established  at  an  early  date. 


226 


SELLING  THE  EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


The  five  letters  that  follow  illustrate  five  differ- 
ent "treatments"  of  the  same  hank  correspondence 
case.  Which  is  the  most  satisfactory  ?  Which 
the  least  ?  A  comparative  criticism  of  the  letters 
should  he  written  hy  the  student. 

1. 


Mr.  Thomas  Green,  subject  of  your  letter  of 
January  10,  has  been  a  valued  customer  of  the  main 
ofhce  of  this  company  for  the  past  ten  years. 

We  are  enclosing  a  statement  of  his  checking  account 
showing  balance  due  to  him  of  $126,537.50,  and  a 
transcript  of  his  savings  account  with  balance  of 
$10,750.  which  amounts  please  debit  us  on 
receipt  of  this  letter.  You  will  receive  from  the 
Wells  Fargo  Express  Company  a  registered  package 
containing  all  the  securities  we  held  for  his  account, 
which  we  enumerate : 

100  shares  U.S.  Steel 

250      ,,       Guaranty  Trust  Company  of  New  York 

500  I  „       Bethlehem  Steel 
1000      „       Warner  Sugar 
Kindly  have  Mr.  Green  examine  these  securities  and 
give  you  the  necessary  receipt,  which  please  forward 
to  us  for  our  records. 


Mr.  Thomas  Green,  subject  of  your  letter 
of  jjanuary  10,  has  been  a  valued  customer 
of  this  bank  since  May  1920. 
Mr.    Green   is    one   of   the    foremost    dry 
goods  merchants  in  this  city,   a  man  of 
excellent  character  and  exceptional  ability, 
and  highly  regarded  by  us. 
He  has  had  transactions  in  several  depart- 
ments of  the  bank,   and   I  am  enclosing 
statements   from  the   commercial,   credit, 
savings,  trust,  and  bond  departments. 
Perhaps    you    can    assist    him    in     some 
manner.     I  will  consider  it  a  favor,  and  I 
am  sure  he  will  be  doubly  grateful. 

227 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


We  are  pleased  to  hear  that  Mr.  Thomas  Green 
wishes  to  continue  his  relations  with  our  bank, 
thru  your  office.  This  is  certainly  to  our  advan- 
tage, as  he  has  been  one  of  our  valued  depositors  for 
the  past  ten  years. 

He  segregated  his  funds  in  two  departments, 
running  an  active  commercial  account  averaging 
about  $100,000.  and  a  savings  account  of  about 
$5000.  for  the  benefit  of  one  of  his  younger  children. 
The  latter,  however,  is  in  his  own  name  and  draws 
interest  at  the  rate  of  4%. 

The  securities  department  holds  for  him  some 
excellent  stock  in  safekeeping.  We  have  also  been 
appointed  as  co-executor  with  him  in  settlement  of 
a  small  estate  of  an  eastern  relative.  We  are  having 
a  duplicate  record  made  of  his  transactions  with  the 
trust  department,  which  we  shall  send  you.  We  shall 
appreciate  it  if  you  will  search  the  laws  of  California 
as  to  our  status  in  this  co -executorship,  and  advise  us. 
We  are  enclosing  a  statement  giving  you  a  full 
description  of  how  this  account  is  to  be  handled,  also 
telegraphing  the  exact  balance  on  both  accounts, 
including  interest. 

New  Account 
Thomas  Green,     135  Broadway,     New  York  City. 
Date  .  .  January  15,   1920. 

Has  opened  a  drawing  account  with  a  deposit 

of $200,000.  ; 

also  savings  account  in  name  of  Thomas  Green, 
as  Trustee  for  Thomas  Green,  Jr.,  with  a  deposit 

of $5000. 

Drawing  account — ^interest  basis — monthly. 
Rate  2^%  and  credited  to  savings  account. 
Savings  account — ^interest  basis — monthly. 
Rate  4%. 
The  trust  department  holds  the  following  securities 
in  safekeeping  : 

$5000.  par  value  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Refunding 
5s.  of  1945 
100  shares  U.S.  Steel  Corporation  Preferred  stock 
$5000.  par  value  U.  S.  Liberty  Loan  4^8,  1928 

$500.  par  value  U.  S.  Victory  Loan  4|s,  1922-23 
Co -executorship  in  settlement  of  Estate  of  Charles 
Brown. 


228 


SELLING  THE  EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


Your  letter  advising  us  of  Mr.  Thomas  Green's  call 
on  you  has  been  received  and  attended  to. 

Mr.  Green  has  been  a  customer  of  our  savings 
department  and  has  maintained  a  checking  account 
with  us.  He  has  had  securities  in  his  name  on 
deposit  with  us  in  our  bond  department,  and  he  was 
co-executor  with  our  bank  for  the  estate  of  Mr.  Charles 
Jones,  a  distant  relative  of  his  who  has  recently  died. 

You  will  please  note  that  we  are  today  crediting  you 
$633.42  representing  the  balance  of  Mr.  Green's 
checking  account  on  which  no  interest  was  allowed, 
and  $1841.61  the  balance  of  his  savings  account  on 
which  interest  was  credited  at  3^%. 

The  bond  department  is  shipping  you  today  securities 
held  for  his  account  as  follows  : 

100  Shares  U.S.  Steel  Co.  Common  Stock 
250        ,,       Pennsylvania  R.R.  Co.  Common 

Stock 
500        ,,       Bethlehem  Steel  Co.  Common  Stock 
50        ,,       General  Motor  Co.  Preferred  Stock 

You  will  also  receive  from  our  Trust  Department 
the  following  securities  belonging  to  the  estate  of 
Mr.  Green's  relative  : 

25  Shares  Canadian  Pacific 

12        ,,       Havana  Steamship  Co. 

25        ,,       Manhattan  Railway  Co. 

50        ,,       Interborough  Rapid  Transit  Co. 

The  balance  of  the  trust  account  amounting  to 
$822.41  has  today  been  credited  to  your  trust  account 
against  which  the  bond  department  delivered  to  our 
Trust  Department  $1000.  United  States  Liberty 
Bonds,  as  security. 

As  soon  as  you  advise  us  that  you  have  made  the 
necessary  arrangements  this  amount  will  be  credited 
to  your  regular  account  and  the  securities  will  be 
released  by  the  trust  department. 

We  hope  that  all  the  securities  forwarded  will  reach 
you   safely.      Any  information  that  you  may  need 

[Contd.  on  p.  230 

229 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Contd.  from  p.  229] 

for  the  proper  conduct  of  Mr,  Green's  account  will  be 
promptly  furnished.  The  trust  department  is  also 
forwarding  you  all  the  necessary  papers  in  connection 
with  the  trust  mentioned  above. 


MEMORANDA 

Re  Mr.   Thomas   Green,   Los  Angeles,  Calif., 
formerly  of  New  York 

Mr.  James  Sheridan,  manager  of  our  Los  Angeles 
Branch,  has  inquired  what  business  we  have  trans- 
acted for  Mr.  Thomas  Green  who  recently  moved  to 
Los  Angeles.  Mr.  Sheridan  states  that  Mr.  Green  has 
asked  him  to  look  after  the  transfer  of  his  business 
from  New  York  to  Los  Angeles. 

Kindly  do  the  necessary  and  advise  me  accordingly  so 
that  I  may  write  Mr.  Sheridan  fully. 

John  Doe 


Memorandum  for  Bookkeeping  Department 

Mr.  John  Doe  : 

Re  Mr.   Thomas   Green,   Los   Angeles,  Calif., 
formerly  of  New  York. 

With  reference  to  Mr.  Sheridan's  inquiry  and 
request  to  arrange  for  the  transfer  of  Mr.  Green's 
business  to  our  Los  Angeles  Branch,  please  record  that 
Mr.  Green  has  kept  a  checking  account  as  well  as  a 
savings  account.  No  interest  was  allowed  on  the  first 
mentioned  account  while  3^%  was  allowed  on  the 
second. 

We  are  today  crediting  our  Los  Angeles  Branch  as 
follows  : 

Balance  of  Mr.  Green's  checking  account  $633.42 
savings        „  $1841.61 

Attached  find  statement  of  checking  account  and 
canceled  vouchers. 

W.O. 

IContd.  on  p.  231 

230 


SELLING  THE  EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


Contd.  from  p.  230] 

Memorandum  for  Bond  Department 

Mr.  John  Doe  : 

Re  Mr.   Thomas   Green,   Los   Angeles,  Calif., 
formerly  of  New  York 

Regarding  your  request  to  ship  the  securities 
that  we  are  now  holding  for  Mr.  Green,  to  our  Los 
Angeles  branch,  please  record  that  we  are  today 
forwarding  the  following  securities  : 

100  Shares  U.S.  Steel  Co.  Common  Stock 
250        ,,       Pennsylvania  R.R.  Co.  Common  Stock 
500        ,,       Bethlehem  Steel  Co.  Common  Stock 
50        ,,       General  Motors  Co.  Preferred  Stock 

W.O. 


Memorandum  for  Trust  Department 

Mr.  John  Doe  : 

Re  |klr.  Thomas  Green,  Los  Angeles,  Calif., 
formerly  of  New  York 

Mr.  Thomas  Green,  together  with  this  bank,  has  been 
named  executor  of  a  small  estate  of  a  relative  of  his 
who  has  recently  died. 

We  are  now  holding  the  following  securities  : 

25  shares  Canadian  Pacific 

12        ,,  Havana  Steamship  Co. 

25        ,,  Manhattan  Railway  Co. 

50        ,,  Interborough  Rapid  Transit  Co. 

The  deposit  of  this  estate  in  the  general  bank  amounts 
to  $822.41.  A  monthly  allowance  of  $175.  is  made  to 
the  widow  of  the  deceased.  These  payments  were 
regularly  made  to  her  at  the  beginning  of  each  month, 
checks  being  mailed  on  the  first  day. 

We  are  now  shipping  the  securities  enumerated  above 
to  our  Los  Angeles  Branch  and  are  also  crediting  the 
Trust  Account  with  the  balance  of  $822.41,  as  security 
of  which  the  Bond  Department  has  delivered  to  us,  in 
compliance  with  the  law,  $1000.  Liberty  Bonds  out 
of  its  holdings.  We  are  also  sending  separately 
the  necessary  papers  in  connection  with  this  trust. 

W.O. 


231 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


5. 


We  have  taken  the  necessary  steps  mentioned  in  your 
letter  of  January  10,  and  are  closing  out  Mr.  Thomas 
Green's  checking  account  as  of  January  20.  The 
canceled  vouchers  are  being  forwarded  to  him  under 
separate  cover,  together  with  a  statement  of  the 
account  to  date.  We  are  retaining  his  signature  card 
in  case  identification  may  be  required,  and  you  can 
have  him  make  out  a  new  one  for  your  records.  His 
balance  is  $9874.56,  and  we  enclose  our  check  for 
that  amount. 

Mr.  Green's  savings  account  has  also  been  adjusted, 
with  the  interest  added  to  this  date.  We  enclose 
another  check  for  $4270.22,  the  amount  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  your  office,  also  a  photographic  copy  of  Mr. 
Green's  original  application  for  a  savings  account. 
Some  high  class  securities  were  also  held  by  us  in 
special  deposits  subject  to  the  order  and  risk  of  Mr. 
Green,  and  we  are  sending  them  along  by  registered 
mail  insured.  The  attached  statement  will  give  the 
list,  together  with  the  instructions  we  have  received 
regarding  them. 

This  gentleman  is  also  co-executor  with  this  bank 
at  present  in  the  settlement  of  a  small  estate  of 
his  aunt.  As  nothing  has  been  said  in  regard  to  this 
matter,  we  are  carrying  it  along  until  we  hear  from 
Mr.  Green. 

We  are  glad  to  recommend  Mr.  Green  to  you,  and  hope 
his  account  will  prove  just  as  satisfactory  with  you  as 
it  has  been  with  us.  He  is  a  very  fine  gentleman,  and 
one  we  believe  you  can  have  implicit  faith  in. 


232 


SELLING  THE  EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


PRACTICE 

\ 

1.  Write  to  the  Wharton  School  of  Commerce,  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
asking  for  specific  requirements  for  entrance.  State  your  qualifica- 
tions, and  ask  how  you  must  proceed  in  order  to  be  admitted  at  a 
certain  time.  Make  it  clear  that  you  will  not  be  satisfied  to  receive 
merely  a  catalog  in  reply  to  your  request,  but  that  you  want 
personal  and  direct  attention. 

2.  Reproduce  the  reply  received  from  the  Wharton  School,  giving 
the  information  requested  in  your  letter  written  in  compliance  with 
Problem  1 .  Let  it  contain,  not  only  clear  and  sufficient  information 
to  meet  your  requirements,  but  also  other  additional  information 
in  which  you  are  extremely  interested  but  for  which  you  did  not  ask. 

3.  Write  to  a  life  insurance  company  asking  for  circulars  of 
information  regarding  life  insurance.  Give  sufficient  facts  about 
yourself,  such  as  age,  occupation,  health,  income,  to  enable  the 
company  to  send  you  explicit  reply  as  to  policies,  and  perhaps 
make  out  a  dummy  policy  to  fit  your  case. 

4.  Write  a  letter  to  Montgomery  Ward  and  Company,  Chicago, . 
ordering  seven  different  articles  of  merchandise.     Order  by  catalog 
number,  give  exact  styles  and  sizes  (if  clothing  is  ordered),  enclose 
check,  and  be  explicit  as  to  place  at  which  goods  are  to  be  delivered. 

5.  Reproduce  the  acknowledgment  of  your  letter  written  to 
Montgomery  Ward  and  Company  in  Problem  4.  This  letter  says 
that  four  of  the  articles  (name  them)  ordered  are  sent  immediately, 
but  that  two  of  them  (name  them)  will  probably  be  delayed  for  a 
day  or  two  owing  to  congestion  in  shipping. 

6.  As  manufacturer  of  a  new  and  increasingly  popular  floor 
covering  Leatheroleum  you  find  yourself  utterly  unable  to  fill 
the  large  number  of  orders  that  have  followed  an  intensive  adver- 
tising campaign.  This  is  not  because  of  a  lack  of  foresight  on  your 
part.  Your  manufacturing  plans,  together  with  reserve  stocks, 
are  more  than  ample  to  cope  with  the  anticipated  increased  demands 

^created  by  the  advertising  campaign.  But,  unfortunately,  just  as 
returns  from  the  campaign  begin  to  make  themselves  profitably 
felt,  you  are  confronted  with  the  most  serious  labor  problems  you 
have  ever  experienced.  There  are  strikes,  not  only  in  your  own 
plants,  but  at  various  shipping  headquarters  also,  and  you  find 

233 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


yourself  seriously  embarrassed.  Write  a  letter  for  circulation  among 
dealers,  explaining  the  situation,  urging  patience,  requesting  cooper- 
ation on  their  part  with  customers,  and  making  certain  inducements, 
such  as  price  reduction,  for  those  who  await  delayed  deliveries. 

7.  You  are  a  manufacturer  of  boys'  caps.  Your  models  are  new 
and  novel  in  design.  They  have  one  unusually  unique  feature, 
namely,  they  may  be  worn  either  side  out.  This  reversible  feature 
makes  it  possible  to  have  one  cap  seem  like  two.  It  may  be  gray, 
for  instance,  on  one  side,  and  red  on  the  other.  Your  sales  slogan 
is  TWO  CAPS  IN  ONE.  There  is  a  wide  variet}''  of  color  and  style. 
All  caps  are  waterproofed  before  they  are  placed  on  the  market. 
You  specialize  in  artistic  school  and  college  lettering  and  designing. 
A  dealer  in  a  college  town  writes  you  to  ask  upon  what  terms  he 
may  be  permitted  to  handle  your  caps  exclusively  ii;  his  community. 
Reproduce  his  letter.  Then  reply  to  it,  stating  exact  terms,  and 
explaining  in  detail  the  various  sales  points  of  your  caps.  Emphasize 
also  particular  sales  cooperative  service  you  are  prepared  to  render 
by  way  of  advertising,  window  cards,  cap  display  racks,  and  special 
exclusive  make-up  for  clubs  and  fraternities. 

8.  A  dealer  in  Denver  writes  you  that  he  has  encountered 
increasing  difficulty  in  selling  the  manicure  sets  that  you  manu- 
facture, and  that  he  does  not  care  to  handle  your  line  further. 
You  immediately  wire  your  sales  manager  in  this  territory  the 
contents  of  this  letter,  and  ask  him  to  call  personally  upon  this 
dealer.  He  does  so.  He  tells  you  that  the  dealer  has  never  made 
use  of  the  special  window  set-ups  you  provided  for  his  use,  never 
displayed  the  interior  cases  you  sent  him,  and  never  circulated  the 
special  dealer  literature  you  had  printed  at  his  request.  Your 
sales  manager  adds,  however,  that  such  merchandise  is  in  demand 
in  Denver,  and  that  other  brands  are  selling  well.  Reproduce  this 
correspondence  sequence  :  the  dealer's  letter  ;  your  telegram  to  the 
sales  manager  ;  the  sales  manager's  letter  ;  and  last,  your  letter 
to  the  dealer.  This  last  should  urge  the  dealer  to  reconsider,  ask 
him  whether  he  has  made  use  of  your  sales  literature  and  equipment, 
and  offer  to  give  him  the  exclusive  use  of  your  manicure  sets  ii^ 
Denver  upon  unusually  liberal  terms,  provided  he  will  avail  himself 
of  your  cooperation  to  the  full. 

9.  Mrs.  Albert  Arons,  18  State  Street,  Trenton,  N.J.,  writes  your 
bank  as  follows  regarding  the  exchange  of  stock.     Acknowledge 

234 


SELLING  THE  EVERYDAY  TRANSACTION 


Mrs.  Aron's  letter  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  exchange  of  stock 
as  simple  and  easy  as  possible  for  her  and  also  keep  the  number  of 
letters  in  the  correspondence  series  at  a  minimum.  But  assume 
that  Mrs.  Arons  is  an  old  customer  of  the  bank  and  one  whose 
business  it  is  both  pleasant  and  profitable  to  transact. 

Dear  Mr.  Blank  : 

Among  my  securities  held  by  you  are  twenty   certificates. 

I  wish  to  exchange  these  for  the  new  stock  in about  to  be 

issued. 

If  you  will  send  them  to  me  I  shall  make  the  exchange,  and  send  the 
new  stock  to  you.  Or,  if  you  will  do  this  for  me  (as  you  have  done 
on  many  previous  occasions),  I  shall  appreciate  your  kindness  very 
much  indeed. 

Very  truly  yours, 
Elva  Arons 
(Mrs.  Albert  J.) 

10.  Write  a  semi-friendly,  semi-business  letter  to  some  one  of 
your  acquaintance,  explaining  in  detail  your  particular  work  in 
the  bank  in  which  you  are  employed.  Let  your  plan  be  evident  but 
not  obtrusive.  Focus  your  letter  copy  from  some  definite  angle, 
such  as  the  difficulties  of  the  position,  its  responsibilities,  its  far- 
reaching  ramifications,  its  possibilities  for  advancement,  its 
drawbacks,  and  so  forth.  Concretize  your  explanation  by  indi- 
vidual instance  as  largely  as  possible.  Aim  to  make  your  letter 
a  selling  or  a  non-selling  force  with  the  one  to  whom  it  is  addressed 
and  from  the  slant  at  which  it  is  composed.  Look  carefully  to  the 
letter  picture. 

11.  Mr.  George  J.  Stebbins,  18  Herkimer  Street,  Scranton,  Pa., 
writes  the  following  letter  to  your  bank.  Answer  Mr.  Stebbins' 
letter  in  such  a  way  as  not  merely  to  satisfy  his  queries,  but  also  to 
build  agreeable  and  possibly  permanent  relationship.  Assume  that 
Mr.  Stebbms'  business  connections  are  known  to  your  house,  and 
that  his  business  will  be  highly  desirable. 

235 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Gentlemen  : 

Owing  to  business  expansion,  it  has  become  necessary  for  us  to  have 
extended  banking  faciUties  in  New  York  City.  Will  you  please  let 
me  know,  therefore, 

(1)  Whether  you  pay  interest  on  daily  balance,  and,  if  so,  at 
what  rate  ? 

(2)  Whether  you  have  branches  or  close  agency  connections  in 
Colombo,  Hongkong,  and  Hankow  ? 

(3)  Whether  you  are  prepared  on  occasion  to  make  short-time 
loans  of  forty  or  fifty  thousand  dollars,  security  and  other 
guarantee  being  satisfactorily  furnished  ? 

I  shall  be  very  much  obliged  for  this  courtesy. 
Very  truly  yours, 
George  J.  Stebbins. 

12.  A  letter  has  come  to  your  bank  from  the  Central  Bank  of 
Sydney,  New  South  Wales,  Australia.  The  salutation  is,  "  Honored 
Sirs  :  "  and  the  complimentary  closing  is,  "I  have  the  distinguished 
honor,  sirs,  to  be  your  humble  and  obedient  servant."  The  letter 
is  signed  by  William  Jarvis  Brown,  Cashier. 

The  letter  inquires  what  facilities  your  bank  has  and  what  terms 
it  makes  for  the  handling  of  foreign  accounts  and  the  investigation 
of  American  firms  dealing  in  Australia.  It  explains  that,  owing  to 
the  rapid  increase  in  its  American  business,  it  is  becoming  imperative 
that  it  establish  an  affiliate  in  New  York  City,  and  it  requests  a 
statement  from  your  bank  as  to  its  attitude  in  the  matter.  The 
Central  Bank  is,  in  turn,  ready  to  act  as  representative  for  your 
bank  in  Australia,  provided  you  are  not  already  represented  there. 
The  various  London  and  other  European  connections  of  the  Central 
Bank  are  given  in  the  letter,  as  a  gratuitous  evidence  of  good  faith. 

Answer  the  letter.  Your  reply  should  be  favorable  to  an  arrange- 
ment with  the  Central  Bank  for  the  transaction  of  its  business  in 
America  and  the  transaction  of  your  business  in  Australia.  You 
should  incorporate  some  little  sales  copy  in  your  reply  ;  give 
London  and,  perhaps,  other  references  ;  and  most  of  all  aim  to  keep 
the  general  tone  and  makeup  of  your  letter  polite,  formal,  and 
dignified. 

236 


CHAPTER  V 
SELLING  SATISFACTION  BY  LETTER 

If  you  would  grow  in  business  size  ' 

As  big  as  are  your  betters, 
Let  not  youi'  angry  passions  rise, 

Especially  in  letters.  ^ 

Good  humor  pays  better  dividends  than  bad  humor.  The  ups 
and  downs  of  artistic  temperament  may  be  picturesque,  but  they 
are  rarely  profitable.  It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  even  to  suffer  in 
order  to  be  happy.  And  the  individual  battle  to  win  placidity 
and  geniality  in  the  face  of  paramount  provocation  is  worth  ulti- 
mately much  more  than  it  costs  by  way  of  imposition  and  imputa- 
tion and  injustice.  Keeping  the  temper  sweet  is  a  privilege  as 
well  as  a  duty.  It  is  also  a  heroic  struggle  sometimes.  The  human 
animal  is  the  most  lovable  of  all  creatures.  Occasionally  he  may 
be  humanly  hatable.     But  it  is  possible  to  hate  him  pleasantly. 

However,  the  voice  with  the  smile  sins,  perhaps  quite  as  often 
as  it  wins.  That  prominent  resident  of  Main  Street,  Miss  Polyanna, 
has  induced  many  an  adverse  reaction  by  the  sheer,  persistent 
vacuity  and  aimlessness  of  her  smile  philosophy.  Righteous 
indignation  has  a  place  in  modern  business  life,  however  temporary 
that  place  may  be.  It  is  at  no  time  more  justifiably  stimulated 
than  when  confronted  by  the  mechanical  artificial  wishy-washy 
smile  that  is  a  mask  for  carelessness,  hypocrisy,  and  general  ineffi- 
ciency. High  seriousness  has  a  permanently  established  place  in 
modern  business  life.  When  your  factory  catches  fire,  it  is  a  sin 
to  sit  calmly  by  and  smile  and  say  :  "  Very  well.  Don't  Worry. 
Everything  will  come  out  all  right."  WTien  you  accidentally 
throw  a  blot  on  a  contract  you  are  signing,  it  is  a  sin  to  lose  your 
temper  and  destroy  the  furniture.  High  seriousness  covereth  a 
multitude  of  sins. 

Much  satisfaction  may  be  sold  by  a  smile  of  the  right  sort.  More 
certainly  may  be  sold  by  a  sane  good  humor  and  a  high  seriousness 
toward  the  workaday  schedule.  Little,  if  any,  may  be  sold  by 
anger  and  irritability. 

"  Right  or  wrong,  the  customer  is  always  right !  "  is  a  safe 

23n 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


BUSINESS    LETTER    SERVICE 

Boston  New  York  Philadelphia  Chicago 

June  20,  1930. 

Strawbridge  and  Clothier, 
Market  and  Eighth  Streets, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Gentlemen: 

It  was  once  the  custom  to  use  the  double  spacmg 
in  all  letters,  as  in  this  letter.  The  short  letter  is  still  very 
often  so  written.  But  in  general,  single  spacing  has  been 
found  more  satisfactory  for  business  correspondence,  as 
well  as  more  convenient  and  more  beautiful. 

When  a  letter  is  set  in  double  spacing,  the.  para- 
graphs are  not,  as  a  rule,  separated  by  additional  space. 
The  paragraph  indention  serves  as  the  only  indication  of 
the  paragraph  partitions.  The  inside  address  is,  however, 
very  often  single-spaced  in  such  letters.  But  this  is  vari- 
able, depending  upon  the  total  letter  picture  and  the 
length  of  the  letter  content. 

Very  truly  yours, 
BUSINESS  LETTER  SERVICE. 


^/^^^^^V^U^ 


p.  p.  Jarvis  Jackson. 


O-J-N 


238 


sp:i.ijng  satisfaction  by  letter 


working  assumption  for  any  business  man  to  make.  In  general 
application  it  means  simply  this  :  Give  every  fellow  the  benefit  of 
the  doubt ;  take  every  man  to  be  right  and  innocent  till  he  has 
been  proved  wrong  and  guilty  ;  suspect  no  man's  motives  in  any 
way  until  you  have  justifiable  concrete  evidence  for  doing  so  ; 
avoid  abstractions  "and  generalizations  about  men  in  forming  your 
estimates  of  man.  This  is  the  only  fair  and  generous  and  democratic 
and  businesslike  attitude  to  take.    This  is  the  advertising  attitude. 

To  err  is  human ;  to  forgive  divine.  Also,  to  be  correct  is 
human  ;  to  approve  divine.  We  fall  to  rise.  Perhaps  we  fail  to 
succeed.  Mistakes  in  business  offer  the  best  possible  opportunities 
for  business  building.  But  this  does  not  mean  that  business  men 
should  stalk  around  deliberately  making  mistakes  just  for  the 
sake  of  creating  such  business-building  opportunities.  There  are 
sufficient  errors  unconsciously  and  inadvertently  made  in  business 
to  provide  tests  for  the  above  dictum.  To  break  a  rule  just  for 
the  sake  of  challenging  the  penalties  attaching  to  its  violation  is 
like  upsetting  the  boat  just  to  see  how  deep  the  water  is. 

To  enumerate  all  the  different  kinds  of  errors  that  daily  business 
transactions  are  heir  to  would  be  a  difficult  task  indeed.  It  is 
quite  unnecessary  in  a  discussion  of  the  underlying  principles  that 
should  guide  in  adjusting  them.  In  general,  the  following  list 
indicates  the  grounds  upon  which  claims  and  adjustments  are  most 
frequently  made  in  connection  with  buying  and  selling : 

1.  Order  misunderstood. 

2.  Order  incompletely  filled. 

3.  Order  wrongly  filled. 

4.  Delivery  delayed. 

5.  Names  and  addresses  in  error. 

6.  Spoilage  or  breakage  of  goods. 

7.  Goods  not  as  advertised  or  guaranteed. 

8.  Misunderstanding  as  to  price. 

9.  Statement  wrong  or  unintelligible. 

10.  Discount  reduction  in  dispute. 

11.  Employee  discourtesy  or  inattention. 

12.  Demand  for  exchange  of  goods. 

13.  Request  for  special  and  unusual  attention. 

14.  The  "  subject-to-approval  "  abuse. 

239 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  claimant  in  these  or  in  other  cases  Hke  them  is  under  the 
"  courtesy  obHgation."  No  matter  what  inconvenience  he  may 
have  been  caused  by  the  machinery  of  merchandising,  he  must 
bear  in  mind  that  quicker  and  more  satisfactory  reactions  follow  a 
patient  request  than  an  ugly  complaint.  Unpleasant  adjustments 
are  often  nothing  more  than  the  reflection  of  unpleasant  claims. 
Courtesy  and  discourtesy  are  both  infectious,  only — "  courtesy  is 
more  so."  Such  terms  as  wrong,  bad,  unjust,  poor,  untrue,  incorrect, 
worthless,  careless,  inferior,  unfair,  disagreeable,  claim,  complaint, 
annoyance,  inconvenience,  offense,  displeased,  disgusted,  your  error, 
serious  mistake,  your  oversight,  should  not  be  used  in  letters  either  of 
claim  or  adjustment.  They  carry  connotations  that  do  not  make  for 
courtesy.  They  belong  to  the  old  regime  of  merchandising  when 
shops  maintained  complaint  departments.  How  much  more 
forward-looking  and  business-building  is  the  term  adjustment 
department,  now  used  to  indicate  exactly  the  same  kind  of  work ! 

The  claim  letter  should  cover  briefly  and  clearly  some  plan 
such  as  the  following : 

1.  Tell  exactly  what  the  error  is. 

2.  Explain  exactly  how  and  where  it  occurred. 

3.  State  exactly  when  and  where  purchase  was  made. 

4.  Tell  exactly  what  you  think  should  be  done. 

5.  Copy  exactly  numbers  in  letters,  or  other  reference  data. 

The  word  exactly  is  repeated  in  each  one  of  these  five  items  for 
the  reason  that  claim  letters  frequently  err  in  looseness  and 
inaccuracy  of  statement,  and  thus  entail  much  more  correspondence 
in  the  claim-and-adjustment  sequence  than  should  properly  be 
required.  A  brief  prefatory  paragraph  that  strikes  the  correct 
keynote,  and  a  brief  concluding  paragraph  that  echoes  it,  are  recom- 
mended for  the  sake  of  "  amity  among  nations."  Such  words  as 
please  and  kindly,  gratuitously  thrown  in  along  the  way,  will 
probably  do  much  toward  speeding  up  adjustments.  Interrogative 
forms  of  expression  are  more  courteous  than  others,  and  may 
therefore  be  used  to  advantage  in  securing  proper  tone  to  a  claim 
letter.  The  word  perhaps  mollifies  statements  that  may  otherwise 
have  a  tendency  to  appear  brusque  and  severe.  There  is  such  a 
thing  as  imputing  attitude  just  by  means  of  sentence  form  and 
phrase   placement,    as  well   as   by  means   of  choice   of   diction. 

240 


SELLING   SATISFACTION   BY  LETTER 


Abruptness  may  still  be  conveyed,  on  the  other  hand,  even  tho 
correct  and  courteous  words  have  been  used.  If  they  are  not 
used  in  the  right  places,  in  the  right  relationships,  in  the  "  right 
rapport  J*  they  will  not  only  fail  to  do  their  work,  they  will  give 
exactly  the  opposite  impression  to  that  for  which  they  are  used. 
Observe  the  three  brief  letters  below.  The  first  is  very  bad ; 
the  second  is  too  abrupt,  even  tho  please  and  kindly  are  in  evidence  ; 
the  third  superinduces  courteous  attitude  at  the  other  end  by 
means  of  introductory  and  concluding  paragraphs,  as  well  as  by 
general  tone. 

L 


Enclosed  find  June  statement — all 
wrong,  as  usual ! 

Can't  you  people  add  and  subtract 
and  compute  interest  ? 

Add  one  and  carry  two,  now,  just  as 
soon  as  you  can,  or  no  check.  I'm 
leaving  town  Thursday  for  three 
months. 


2. 


Please  correct  your  mistake  on 
enclosed  statement. 

The  addition  should  be  $151.87,  not 
$161.87. 

Kindly  give  your  attention  to  this 
at  once,  as  I  am  leaving  town  on 
Thursday  for  three  months. 


241 


16~(429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Sorry  to  trouble  you  about  my  little 
statement,  but  I  know  that  you  are 
just  as  anxious  to  have  it  right  as  I  am. 

You  will  find,  I  think,  that  the  total 
should  be  $151.87,  not  $161.87. 
Won't  you  please  verify  this  ? 

Inasmuch  as  I  am  leaving  town  on 
Thursday,  to  be"  gone  three  months, 
I  thought  perhaps  you  would  be  good 
enough  to  give  this  prompt  attention? 
Thank  you. 


The  writer  of  adjustment  letters  must  confess,  confirm,  and 
correct.  It  is  not  difficult  for  a  man  of  any  business  size  to  confess 
to  error.  It  is  not  belittling  to  a  man  of  any  business  size  to 
confirm  a  report  of  error.  It  is  a  genuine  pleasure  for  a  man  of 
any  business  size  to  correct  an  error  for  which  he  and  his  house 
may  have  been  wholly,  partially,  or  even  not  at  all  responsible. 
The  adjustment  chief  must  be  a  man  of  good  business  size.  His 
is  the  joyful  job  of  setting  things  right.  And  it  takes  much  bigger 
men  in  this  world  to  make  things  right  than  to  make  them  wrong. 

The  adjuster's  first  duty  is  to  get  the  claimant's  point  of  view, 
to  put  himself  in  the  claimant's  place.  He  cannot  sell  satisfaction 
successfully  unless  he  knows  what  sort  of  prospect  he  is  selling  it  to. 
He  can  arrive  at  the  claimant's  point  of  view,  as  a  rule,  from  the 
claimant's  letter.  If  the  claimant  is  pleasant,  courteous,  and 
constructive  in  this  claim,  the  adjuster's  work  is  accordingly 
easier.  If  the  claimant  is  angry  and  severe,  the  adjuster's  work  is 
accordingly  more  difficult,  but  his  opportunity  is  greater. 

The  adjustment  letter  should  cover  briefly  and  clearly  some  plan 
such  as  the  following: 

1.  Express  regret  for  any  inconvenience  caused. 

2.  Explain  briefly  just  why  and  how  error  was  made. 

3.  State  exactly  when  and  how  adjustment  is  made. 

4.  Enclose  some  automatic  device  for  customer's  expression  of 
satisfaction  with  adjustment. 

5.  Build  good-will  by  means  of  a  concluding  note  in  the  letter. 


242 


SELLING   SATISFACTION   BY  LETTER 


When  the  claimant  is  right,  the  adjuster  grants  the  claim  without 
question  or  hesitation.  When  the  claimant  is  partly  right,  the 
adjuster  is  called  upon  to  modify  the  claim  with  tact  and  satis- 
faction. When  the  claimant  is  wrong  or  dishonest  or  "  trying  to 
put  something  over,"  the  adjuster  is,  of  course,  obliged  to  refuse 
the  claim.  In  the  last  case  he  is  confronted  with  the  most  difficult 
role  in  his  repertoire.  For  in  all  of  his  adjustment  work,  it  is 
imperative  that  he  not  merely  adjust,  but  that  he  keep  the 
customer's  business  and  good-will  as  well.  This  is  difficult  to 
accomplish  sometimes,  even  when  a  claim  is  fully  and  freely  granted. 
It  amounts  to  a  "  consuming  challenge  "  in  those  cases  where  claims 
have  to  be  modified,  or  denied  altogether. 

The  three  letters  below  illustrate  these  three  different .  types  of 
adjustment  procedure.  The  first  grants  the  claim,  the  second 
modifies  the  claim,  the  third  refuses  the  claim.  The  opening  and 
closing  paragraphs  of  the  letters  should  be  noted. 


It  is  our  fault  entirely  that  your  order  was  not 
filled  more  promptly  and  the  goods  delivered  before 
you  left  town. 

We  are  not  going  to  offer  excuses.  The  early 
vacation  rush  to  summer  homes  simply  thrust  itself 
upon  us  before  we  were  able  adequately  to  provide 
for  it.  The  consequence — your  disappointment  and 
inconvenience.      We   are   genuinely   sorry  ! 

The  goods  were  sent  to  you  yesterday  morning 
prepaid  by  special  express  delivery.  You  should 
have  received  them  last  evening.  The  duplicate 
invoice  enclosed  will  show  you  that  we  have  accorded 
you  a  percentage  reduction  on  the  total  bill  in  order 
to  compensate  in  some  small  way  for  our  failure 
to  make  good  on  the  minute. 

Forgive  us  this  time,  and  be  assured  that  we  shall 
do  our  bit  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  any  embarrassing 
lapse  in  service. 


243 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


We  are  extremely  sorry  to  learn  that  the  goods  we 
shipped  you  on  June  tenth  have  not  yet  reached  you. 
Steps  have  already  been  taken  to  trace  the  ship- 
ment, discover  the  cause  of  the  delay,  and  get  the 
merchandise  to  you  just  as  soon  as  possible. 

It  is,  of  course,  a  matter  of  serious  concern  with  us 
always,  when  our  goods  are  not  promptly  and  properly 
deHvered.  And  we  are  always  glad  to  do  whatever  is 
just  and  proper  to  set  matters  aright.  But  we  cannot 
in  fairness  to  ourselves  and  to  our  other  customers 
comply  with  your  request  to  send  you  a  completely 
new  case  of  goods.  Our  stocks  are  low,  and  we  are 
having  difficulty  to  replenish  them. 

We  are  willing,  however,  to  send  you  those  articles 
that  you  say  you  need  for  immediate  use,  with  the 
understanding  that  you  return  the  duplicates  in  the 
case  of  goods  we  have  already  sent  you  when  it  finally 
reaches  you. 

You  will  recall  that  you  especially  urged  us  to  ship  by 
train,  tho  it  was  indicated  to  you  that  shipment  by 
our  own  truck  would  be  more  expedient  for  us  and 
probably  more  satisfactory  to  you.  The  railway 
express  service  is  at  present  seriously  congested. 

Please  use  the  stamped  addressed  envelope  to  let  us 
know  whether  the  case  is  yet  received.  If  it  is  not,  we 
shall  immediately  forward  to  you  the  articles  you 
mentioned  in  your  letter. 

And  we  are  glad  to  be  able  to  do  this  for  one  whose 
custom  has  been  so  continuous  and  so  highly  valued 
as  yours  has  been. 


244 


SELLING  SATISFACTION   BY  LETTER 


You  have  certainly  been  given  just  cause  for  your 
criticism,  and  we  are  sorry  as  we  can  be. 

Perhaps  the  periodic  pencil  additions  on  your  monthly 
statements  are  confusing.  Still,  yours  is  the  only 
adverse  comment  we  have  had  on  this  phase  of  our 
work,  and  we  follow  the  same  method  on  the 
thousands  of  statements  we  mail  every  month. 

The  pencil  addition  is  used,  you  understand,  so  that 
by  these  periodic  totals,  congestion  of  work  on  the  last 
day  of  the  month  may  be  obviated.  If  this  method 
were  not  employed,  you  can  very  easily  see  that  our 
clerical  staff  would  have  to  stay  at  the  bank  nearly 
all  night  of  the  last  statement  day,  for  every  state- 
ment would  have  to  be  added  from  the  first  day 
of  the  month,  instead  of  from  the  twentieth  or  the 
twenty-fifth. 

We  wish  we  could  see  our  way  clear  to  make  an 
exception  to  this  rule  in  your  individual  case,  but  we 
really  believe  it  would  not  be  a  plausible  departure  to 
make.  It  would  cause  confusion  and  delay,  for  a 
given  statement  is  rarely  added  in  toto  by  the  same 
clerk,  and  an  exception  to  a  rule  that  appHes  to  so 
many  depositors  might  easily  be  attended  with  serious 
oversights  and  inaccuracies. 

So  we  are  sorry,  but  we  are  going  to  ask  you  to  be 
patient  with  us  for  just  one  month  more.  If  your 
statement  is  "illegible  and  crowded  and  confused  " 
again  this  month,  rest  assured  some  clerk  capitulates  ! 

But  it  will  not  be,  for  we  shall  look  after  it  personally, 
and  do  so  gladly  in  your  behalf. 


The  claimant  may  throw  Jiis  temper  away  if  he  likes,  in  his 
claim  letter,  but  the  adjuster  must  never  be  influenced  to  extend 
the  far-flung  battle  line.  He  must  keep  his  temper.  The  adjust- 
ment letter  is  the  last  of  all  places  for  display  of  temper.  It  is 
similarly  the  last  of  all  places  for  obscurity  or  indefiniteness  or 
circumlocution.  It  must  be  the  most  businesslike  of  business 
letters.  To  dilly-dally  with  a  claim,  to  treat  it  lightly  or  super- 
ficially, to  bring  about  a  claim  follow-up,  as  the  result  of  no  clear- 
sighted adjustment  policy  or  method,  is  to  defy  and  abuse  one  of 

245 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


the  most  sensitive  business  relationships.  While  adjustment  letter 
copy  must  be  courteous,  it  must  likewise  be  positive  and  logical. 
While  it  must  aim  always  to  reestablish  good-will  and  retain  custom, 
it  must  likewise  be  dignified  and  self-possessed.  It  must  radiate 
no  attitude  of  fawning.  It  must  as  certainly  convey  just  and 
considerate  policies  of  service. 

Perhaps  the  form  and  make-up  and  general  appearance  of  an 
adjustment  letter  count  for  more  than  is  usually  attributed  to 
them.  The  letter  that  corrects,  should  be  correct  in  form  as  in 
other  particulars.  Exactness  of  detail  in  composition  makes 
unconsciously  for  exactness  in  letter  mechanics,  or  should  do  so. 
The  smooth  and  easy-running  movement  of  the  English  in  an 
adjustment  letter,  should  not  be  negatived  by  blatant  letterhead 
or  ragged  paragraphing  or  uneven  margining.  The  quiet,  self- 
contained  sentence  structure  necessary  to  the  composition  of  the 
average  adjustment  letter,  should  not  be  nullified  by  stereotyped 
phraseology  or  mispunctuation.  The  short,  terse,  snappy  sentence 
structure,  appropriate  in  sales  and  advertising  literature,  is  to  be 
avoided  in  adjustment  letters,  as  are  freakish  or  ostentatious  or 
down-at-heel  forms  of  letter  picture.  Cicero's  dictum,  "  The 
content  reflects  the  form,"  and  vice  versa,  should  apply  with 
special  significance  to  the  adjustment  letter. 

Promptness  in  the  acknowledgment  of  a  claim  has  been  known 
to  win  half  the  battle.  In  case  investigation  of  the  claim  requires 
time,  the  claim  should  nevertheless  be  acknowledged  by  means  of 
form  card  or  letter,  or  by  personal  letter.  A  typical  intermediate 
adjustment  form  may  read  as  follows  : 


Your  letter  of 


regarding 


will  be  answered,  and  careful  adjust- 
ment made,  just  as  soon  as  the  matter 
referred  to  has  been  thoroly  investi- 
gated in  your  behalf.  Thank  you  for 
calling  our  attention  to  this. 


'm 


sp:lling  satisfaction  by  letter 


And  the  other  end  of  the  adjustment  process  is  equally  vital. 
No  matter  how  amicably  a  claim  may  be  settled,  it  should  be 
followed  up  by  some  means — letter,  card,  direct-mail  advertising — 
for  the  purpose  of  clinching  the  claimant's  good- will  and  continued 
custom.  Such  follow-up  should  be  nicely  adjusted,  especially  in 
the  case  of  a  difficult  adjustment.  In  serious  and  extreme  cases, 
special  follow-up  measures  may  be  taken,  such  as  having  an 
adjuster  call  personally  upon  the  claimant,  offering  the  claimant 
some  unusual  purchasing  opportunity  or  extending  the  claimant 
a  certain  credit  on  renewal  of  custom.  But  the  follow-up,  as  a 
rule,  must  not  be  aggressive  ;  it  must  not  be  so  direct  as  to  get 
itself  suspected.  It  must  be  made  to  appear  natural  and  dis- 
interested. It  is  an  opportunity.  To  ignore  it  altogether  is  to 
invite  loss  of  business. 

On  the  theory  that  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of 
cure,  letters  anticipating  claims  should  be  used  whenever  circum- 
stances justify.  A  firm  may,  for  instance,  find  itself  unable  to 
fill  orders  as  given,  in  which  case  it  will  anticipate  claim  by  means 
of  a  letter  explaining  why.  It  may  offer  substitute  goods  ;  it 
may  offer  cancellation  and  refund  of  any  money  paid ;  it  may 
state  that  factory  conditions  prevent  filling  the  order  on  time  ; 
it  may  suggest  diverting  the  order  elsewhere,  and  so  forth.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  case,  an  order  placed  may  be  withdrawn  by  the 
customer.  He,  of  course,  owes  the  tradesman  the  same  courtesy 
that  he  has  a  right  to  expect  when  the  tables  are  turned.  He  should 
always  give  reason  for  the  withdrawal,  should  notify  of  such  with- 
drawal just  as  promptly  as  possible  after  the  order  is  placed,  and 
should  volunteer  to  meet  any  expense  that  may  have  been  entailed 
up  to  the  time  of  withdrawal  notice.  Such  adjjistments  as  the 
two  here  indicated  may  easily  become  complicated  cases,  requiring 
the  judgment  and  assistance  of  a  referee,  or  even  of  the  courts. 
But  the  parties  to  such  adjustments  can  do  much  to  simplify 
negotiations  if  they  will  observe  in  their  correspondence  the  rules 
above  generally  outlined. 

Adjustments  pertaining  to  figures,  and  especially  bank  and  other 
financial  adjustments,  make  their  own  special  demands.  Figures 
may  not  lie,  but  they  do  terrorize  certain  types  of  people.  There 
are  men  and  women  so  sensitive  about  money  matters  that  they 
invariably  interpret   a   disadvantageous   mistake   in   addition   or 

247 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


subtraction  as  a  deliberate  attempt  to  defraud  them.  Many  men 
and  women,  on  the  other  hand,  regard  themselves  as  mistake- 
proof  in  the  handling  of  figures,  and  resent  almost  to  the  death 
any  imputation  that  their  computation  will  not  stand  the  Burroughs 
test.  Then,  too,  there  are  many  financial  operations  that  average 
men  and  women  do  not  understand,  cannot  "  see  thru,"  and  they 
are  ever  ready  to  translate  their  inability  to  comprehend  into 
commission  of  error  on  the  part  of  some  bank  employee.  Patience 
in  making  financial  adjustments  needs  to  be  both  a  virtue  and  a 
religion  with  the  financial  adjuster.  He  must  not  hope  to  clarify 
by  means  of  tabulations  and  statistical  graphs,  what  is  not  clear  in 
single-entry  column.  Nor  must  he  think  for  a  moment  that  ten- 
dencies to  overdraw  or  to  omit  dates  or  to  forget  to  endorse,  and 
the  other  customary  oversights  that  help  to  make  his  life 
miserable,  are  going  to  be  permanently  corrected  by  one  notice 
only.  A  careless  habit  is  not  reformed  by  a  single  correction. 
He  must  try  and  try  again. 

At  least  one  good  rule  for  the  bank  adjuster  is  the  rule  of 
itemized  paragraphing.  He  will  find  that  he  can  generally  make 
adjustments  clearer  by  giving  to  each  particular  item  about  which 
there  is  some  misunderstanding,  paragraph  placement  "all  to 
itself,"  no  matter  how  brief  the  successive  paragraph  statements 
may  be.  The  letter  on  page  257  illustrates  this  method.  It  is 
a  safe  rule  always  to  assure  a  bank  customer  in  a  letter  of  adjust- 
ment that  his  interests  are  being  vigilantly  protected  and  that 
occasional  errors  will  creep  thru  where  so  many  thousands  of  figures 
are  computed  daily.  And  discerning  judgment  on  the  part  of  a 
bank  adjuster  will  almost  invariably  enable  him  to  link  up  with 
his  adjustments  enclosures  or  sales  suggestions  or  other  diverting 
but  somewhat  related  appeals. 

Adjustment  form  paragraphs,  however  adroitly  composed  and 
highly  differentiated  they  may  be,  are  not  to  be  recommended, 
except  in  preliminary  procedures  and  in  exceptionally  easy  cases. 
Troublesome  claims  and  angry  claimants  require  and  should  have 
personal  attention  and  personaHzed  letters.  Good-will  is  not  a 
machine-made  product.  It  can  neither  be  revived  nor  retained 
by  mechanical  methods.  It  needs  to  be  completely  and  constantly 
surrounded  and  protected  by  the  lifeguards  of  business.  And  the 
writer  of  adjustment  letters  is  exactly  this — a  lifeguard.     He  is  out 

248 


SELLING   SATISFACTION    BY  LETTER 


to  protect  good-will.  If  anything  goes  wrong  with  it ;  if  it  is  in 
the  slightest  degree  threatened,  he  has  the  right  to  demand  the 
who,  the  how,  the  when,  the  where,  the  why  of  the  situation,  and 
he  obligates  himself,  if  he  is  the  right  sort,  to  meet  every  one  of 
these  queries  constructively.  He  cannot  do  this  with  a  letter  form. 
He  will  find  it  difficult  enough  of  accomplishment  in  all  cases 
with  the  most  ideal  personal  message.  He  must  "look  alive." 
He  must  be  ever  on  the  qui  vive.  Perhaps  he  would  do  well  to 
have  the  following  quotation  typed  in  illuminated  characters  and 
posted  in  clear  view  above  his  desk  : 

I'm  here  to  serve  the  man  who  buys, 

I'm  selUng  satisfaction  ; 
And  I  shall  make  good-will  the  prize 

Of  every  last  transaction. 

The  five  forms  below,  are  used  by  a  large 
department  shop  for  adjustment  purposes. 

Indemnity  Form. 


The  undersigned  shipped  from  New  York  on 

one (case)     marked 

Please  use  all  available  means  to  stop  for  us  the  above 
mentioned  article  before  delivery  to  consignee  and 
return  it  to  us.  In  consideration  of  your  efforts 
in  our  behalf,  we  hereby  agree  to  indemnify  you 
against  and  save  you  harmless  from  any  suit  or 
legal  proceedings,  loss,  damage,  expense,  counsel 
fees,  cost  and  charges  arising  from  or  caused  by 
your  attempt  to  comply  with  this  request. 
The  full  meaning  and  intent  of  this  agreement  is 
that  you  are  to  act  as  our  agent  in  this  transaction. 


Bureau  of  Investigation 
Receipt  from  Shipping  Department 

Received  indemnity  to  be  sent  to 

for  the  return  of  shipment  consisting  of 

marked 


249 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Linoleum  Form. 


We  have  your  communication  of 

Your  linoleum  was  laid  on and 

the     tacking     finished     satisfactorily     on 


We  are  always  willing  to  restretch  linoleum 
that  bulges  from  natural  causes,  but  if 
it  has  held  smoothly  for  sixty  days,  any 
bulging  that  occurs  later  usually  is  caused 
by  dampness  or  conditions  over  which 
we  have  no  control. 

If  repairs  are  required  now  we  shall  gladly 
undertake  the  work  for  a  minimum  charge 
of  $2.50.* 

Kindly  let  us  know  whether  this  is 
satisfactory. 


*  If  customer  lives  out  of  town,  insert 
"  adding  the  railroad  fares  '^of  our 
representatives." 


Tracer  Started. 


The  order  about  which  you  inquire  was 
forwarded  by 

We  are  unable  at  this  moment  to  account 
for  the  delay  in  the  deHvery,  but  may 
we  suggest  that  you  have  inquiry  made  at 
the  office  in  your  town. 

We  are  starting  a  tracer  to  hasten  the 
dehvery  or  to  ascertain  the  present  where- 
abouts of  the  shipments.  If  in  the 
meantime  the  merchandise  arrives,  please 
let  us  know. 


250 


SELLING   SATISFACTION  BY  LETTER 


No  Record. 


We    have    made    every    effort    to    locate 

your  order  for   but 

without  success. 


Please  let  us  know  whether  the  order  was 
given  in  person  or  by  mail,  whether 
paid  for  or  c.  o.  d.,  and  give  any  other 
information  which  in  your  opinion  will 
aid  our  search. 


Kindly  enclose  with  your  reply  any 
receipts  or  memoranda  you  may  hold  and 
a  duplicate  copy  of  the  order.  You 
have  our  assurance  that  they  will  greatly 
assist  us  in  locating  your  purchase. 


Sanitary  Form. 


We    acknowledge    receipt    of   your    letter 

of We  regret  that  we 

cannot  comply  with  your  request  regarding 

the    which    you    wish 

to  return.  It  is  our  unalterable  rule  not 
to  place  in  stock  any  merchandise  which 
has  been  in  the  possession  of  our  customer 
even  though  such  merchandise  may  never 
have  been  used. 

You  will  realize,  we  feel  sure,  that  the 
protection  of  our  patrons  makes  such  a 
rule  imperative,  and  altho  it  deprives 
us  of  the  pleasure  of  serving  you  in  this 
instance,  we  are  confident  that  you  will 
understand  the  need  of  such  a  safeguard. 


251 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Accuracy  linked  with  courtesy  in  acknowledging 
an  order,  and  asking  for  a  small  adjustment. 


Thank  you  for  your  order  of  March   10, 
with  check  for  $32.38  enclosed. 

The    shipment    starts    at    once,     freight 
prepaid,  on  order  number  1406. 

We  find  that  there  is  a  small  balance   of 
eighty-six  cents  (86^)  due  to  us  which  is 
arrived  at  as  follows  : 

350  pounds  at 
Cash  less  1% 

Net  amount 
Plus  freight  a1 

Total 
Less  check 

Due 

$9.25perl001bs. 
:33.7f  perlOOlbs 

$32.38 
.32 

$32.06 
5.     1.18 

$33.24 
32.38 

$00.86 

Thank  you. 

Brief  but  sufficient  and  exact  data 
for  adjustment. 


The  Community  Silver  that  you 
ordered  sent  to 

Miss  May  Wright 
20  Clarke  Street 
Brooklyn,  N.Y. 

was  initialed  as  you  directed  and  sent 
by  insured  parcel  post  on  October  6. 

We  are  sorry  for  the  delay  in  its 
delivery,  and  are  sending  a  tracer  for 
it  immediately. 


252 


SELLING  SAT'ISFACTION  BY  LETTER 


A  considerate  request,  in  spite  of  delay 
or  break  in  the  correspondence  sequence. 


Here  is  a  copy  of  the  letter  sent  to  Mr. 
Jackson  under  date  of  June  3. 

Inasmuch  as  I  have  had  no  reply  to  it,  I 
write  again  to  ascertain  whether  it  will 
be  possible  for  me  to  secure  the  loan 
desired. 

It  may  be  that  he  is  out  of  town  at  present,, 
and  that  my  letter  has  not  yet  been 
called  to  his  attention. 

At  any  rate,  I  shall  appreciate  as  early  a 
reply  as  possible. 

Thank  you. 


Businesslike  adjustment  in  a  sequence 
of  interoffice  correspondence. 


Re\Mx.  John  G.  Ogden's  note  for  $200. 
due  May  4,  1930. 

Mr.  Ogden  wrote  us  that  he  intended  to 
renew  this  note.  We  are  writing  you 
because  we  think  he  may  have  sent 
the  renewal  directly  to  you. 

The  old  note  is  enclosed.  You  may 
hand  it  to  Mr,  Ogden  when  you  receive 
the  new  one. 

This,  we  beHeve,  clears  up  the  situation 
for  the  present.  But  if  there  is  anything 
else  we  can  do,  please  let  us  know. 


253 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  deliberative  adjustment,  along 
with  which  was  sent  a  stamped, 
addressed  envelope. 


We  are  sorry  that  the  temporary  local  advances 
in  connection  with  some  of  the  loans  sent  to  us  for 
your  credit,  have  not  been  managed  in  a  satisfactory 
manner. 


The  arrangement  you  propose  in  your  letter  of 
January  5,  in  order  to  obviate  the  disadvantages 
under  which  you  have  been  operating,  is  wholly 
approved  by  us. 


It  is  entirely  agreeable  to  us  to  have  a  draft  for  the 
face  amount  of  any  loan  you  may  desire  to  send  us, 
attached  to  the  note  and  mortgage,  and  forwarded 
thru  one  of  your  local  banks. 


If,  then,  the  loan  proves  acceptable  to  us,  we  shall 
simply  debit  the  amount  of  the  discount  to  the 
account  of  your  company,  and  honor  your  draft. 


Your  reaction  on  this  plan  will  be  awaited  by  us  with 
much  interest. 


254 


SELLING   SATISFACTION  BY   LETTER 


A  style  of  adjustment  literature  too  familiar 
for  general  use,  but  effective  in  those  special 
cases  where  the  writer  knows  his  man  and  his 
problem. 


Thank  you  for  your  reproof  of  the  eighteenth. 

It  was  coming  to  us.  You  phrased,  formulated,  and 
fired  it  hitherward. 

And— we  got  it  !!!!!!!!!  ! 

Now,  inasmuch  as  explanations  never  explain, 
I'm  going  to  Explain  : 

After  your  previous  letter  on  the  subject  I  had  a 
talk  with  the  vice-president  in  charge  of  that  territory. 
He  assured  me  that  the  matter  had  been  thoroly 
investigated,  and  that  there  would  be  no  further 
cause  for  complaint. 

But  I'm  not  trying  to  let  myself  out,  or  to  switch 
the  blame  upon  some  one  else.  From  papers  that 
the  vice-president  showed  me,  I  am  convinced  that 
he  did  everything  that  was  humanly  possible  at 
the  time. 

Today  I  shall  take  the  whole  situation  up  Avith  our 
executive  manager,  and  shall  urge  him  to  apply 
more  drastic  measures.  He  and  I  and  all  of  us  ajre, 
of  course,  vastly  more  interested  in  discovering  how 
such  things  can  happen  in  this  institution  than 
you  can  possibly  be.  While  we  owe  you  much,  we 
are  under  greater  obligation  to  ourselves  for  the 
sake  of  you  and  the  rest  of  our  customers. 

This  is  all  I  can  say  at  present.  You  will  hear  from 
me  further  in  a  very  short  time. 

Meantime,  ponder  my  gratitude  for  your  just  and 
vigorous  statement  of  your  case. 


255 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Brief  hut  accurate  adjustment  data  given, 
together  with  expression  of  regret. 


On  Saturday  we  sent  to  you  by  parcel 
post  the  cap  and  nut  which  were  missing 
from  the  rear  wheel  of  the  child's  auto- 
mobile you  bought  at  this  store  on 
January  20. 

We  are  extremely  sorry  for  the  delay  and 
inconvenience  caused  you. 

Should  any  other  part  of  the  mechanism 
of  the  little  car  give  you  trouble,  please 
notify  us  at  once  and  we  shall  hasten  to 
correct  it. 


Courteous  tone  maintained  in  spite  of 
pressure  and   annoying  circumstance. 


May  I  call  your  attention  to  the  following 
in  connection  with  my  monthly  statement, 
with  vouchers,  received  yesterday  : 

On  June  third  I  sent  you,  together  with 
other  deposits  amounting  to  $875.,  one 
Victory  Loan  coupon  for  $23.75  due 
June  fifteenth. 

My  statement  does  not  show  that  this 
coupon  has  been  paid  and  credited  to  my 
account.  Please  let  me  know  whether 
it  was  received  ?  It  was  sent,  along  with 
others,  by  registered  mail. 

Inasmuch  as  I  am  administratrix  of  an 
estate  that  is  now  being  closed,  and  that 
requires  of  course  that  I  have  an  absolutely 
final  and  accurate  account  of  all  deposits, 
I  shall  appreciate  your  immediate  attention 
to  the  adjustment  of  this  matter. 
Thank  you. 


256 


SELLING  SATISFACTION  BY  LETTER 


Tone  that  builds,  and  paragraphing 
that  clarifies. 


In  reply  to  your  tracer  of  June  3  we  now 
have  the  following  to  submit  : 

Your  cash  letter  of  May  5  for  $12.000.. 
was  credited  to  your  account  on  May  8. 

Your  cash  letter  of  May  10  for  $18,000., 
was  credited  to  your  account  on  May  13. 

Your  cash  letter  of  May  18  for  $20,000., 
was  credited  to  your  account  on  May  21, 

Our  records  show  that  you  were  advised 
under  date  of  each  credit. 

If,  however,  you  have  not  yet  been  able 
to  locate  our  acknowledgments,  please 
use  this  letter  to  complete  your  files. 

We  are  sorry  you  have  been  caused 
inconvenience. 


Lucid    and    agreeable    request  for 
adjustment. 


Please  refer  to  acceptance  of  James  R. 
Yoder,  entered  for  collection  on  April  8, 
due  April  18,  at  Grampton,  Tenn.,  for 
$18.57. 

We  are  informed  by  our  correspondent  at 
Memphis  that  he  advised  payment  of  this 
item  in  error  on  May  16,  and  that  his 
advice  or  credit  was  to  cover  an  acceptance 
of  like  amount  due  May  12. 

He  now  tells  us  that  this  acceptance  has 
apparently  been  lost  in  the  mails,  inasmuch 
as  the  Grampton  correspondent  has  never 
received  it. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  will  you  kindly 
authorize  us  to  discharge  this  item  from 
our  records  ?  We  shall  be  greatly  obliged 
to  you. 


257 


17 -(429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  clear-cut  and  strictly  businesslike 

adjustment. 


Complying  with  your  request  of  May  19, 
we  have  this  day  redeemed  $500,000.  United 
States  Treasury  Certificates  which  were  held 
as  collateral  to  your  loan. 

We  have  credited  your  draft  account 
$513,290.41  in  payment  for  the  principal 
with  interest. 

We  have  also  charged  your  draft  account 
$504,637.50  in  liquidation  of  the  principal 
of  your  loan  dated  November  1,  1927. 

Enclosed  you  will  find  your  note,  which  has 
been  canceled,  together  with  your  note  for 
$800,000.  dated  December  12,  1927,  on 
which  the  interest  rate  was  changed. 

We  trust  that  all  these  transactions  and 
arrangements  are  satisfactory. 


A  polite  request  for  adjustment  in  connection 
with  the  stubborn  monthly  statement. 


Attached  to  this  sheet  you  will  find 
your  statement  for  November. 

The  balance  thereon  shown  is 
$2326.43. 

But  you  will  note,  I  think,  that 
your  final  figure  is  in  error. 

The  difference  between  total  checks, 
amounting  to  $6387.81,  and  total 
credits,  amounting  to  $87 16.24,  should 
be  $2328.43,  should  it  not  ? 

I  shall  appreciate  your  attention  to 
this  matter,  and  the  return  of  the 
corrected  statement. 


258 


SELLING   SATISFACTION   BY   LETTER 


An  adjustment  that  welcomes  the 
claim  and  in  general  illustrates  the 
right  attitude  in  such  matters. 


It  is  extremely  bad  news  for  us  to  hear 
that  you  received  neither  your  statement 
nor  your  vouchers  for  January. 

Our  records  show  that  these  were  sent 
to  you  on  January  31.  We  are  already 
making  an  investigation  to  discover  why 
your  statement  and  the  vouchers  were 
not  enclosed  in  the  envelope  that  con- 
tained the  reconcilement  blank.  The 
blank,  we  understand,  you  did  receive. 

We  shall  let  you  hear  from  us  in  very 
few  days  as  to  the  outcome  of  this 
investigation. 

Thank  you  for  calUng  our  attention  to 
the  oversight  so  promptly. 


An  adjustment  that  shows  the  right 
sort  of  cooperative  attitude. 


May  I  take  up  with  you,  please,  the  matter  of 
late  or  delayed  delivery  of  our  mail  to  your  bank  ? 

On  one  occasion  I  had  notification  of  an  overdraft 
with  the  Sears  National,  and  I  found  that  it  was 
caused  by  the  fact  that  our  cash  letter  had  been 
on  the  road  for  three  days. 

This,  I  gather  from  your  acknowledgments,  is  a 
common  occurrence. 

I  have  called  the  attention  of  the  postal  authorities 
here  to  this  regular  delay.  They  assure  me  that 
there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  occur. 

I  shall  appreciate  it  if  you  will  arrange  to  return 
to  us  for  about  a  fortnight  the  envelopes  in  which 
we  send  you  our  cash  remittances.  This  will  enable 
me  to  study  the  postmarks  and  to  proceed  anew 
in  my  effort  to  get  a  more  rapid  service. 

Thank  you. 


259 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


An  adjustment  plus  cooperation  and  right  attitude. 


Thank  you  for  your  letter  of  the  sixteenth. 

We  shall,  as  you  request,  mail  to  you  envelopes 
covering  a  ten-day  period,  from  which  you  can 
see  the  time  of  receipt  of  cash  remittance  letters. 

Delivery  of  mail  can  be  expedited  by  addressing  it 
to  Rowe's  Bank  of  Columbus,  Bank  Window,  City 
Hall  Post  Office  Station,  Columbus,  Ohio.  This 
takes  our  mail  direct  to  the  nearest  sub-station 
for  dehvery  instead  of  to  the  General  Post  Office 
for  re-distribution. 

If  you  will  make  use  of  this  address  hereafter,  you 
will  probably  receive  better  service.  In  case  your 
letters  are  received  in  the  morning,  we  are  always 
able  to  get  them  thru  the  day's  clearings. 

We  are  sorry  that  you  have  been  caused  annoyance 
and  inconvenience.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  criticism 
of  the  mails,  and  there  is  good  cause  for  it.  Be 
assured,  however,  that  we  shall  continue  to  do 
everything  we  possibly  can  at  this  end  to  expedite 
the  movement  of  your  letters. 


A  personalized  adjustment  calculated  to  sell 
character  and  service  as  well  as  adjust. 


Your  letter  of  December  10  has  never  been 
received  by  us,  or,  at  least,  we  cannot 
find  any  record  of  it. 

The  copy  of  it  that  came  to  us  today  along 
with  your  letter,  interests  us,  and  we  are 
extremely  sorry  for  your  sake  as  well  as  our 
own  that  there  should  have  been  any  delay. 
Of  course  we  can  make  you  the  loan 
desired,  at  the  rate,  for  the  time,  and  on 
the  securities  you  mention. 

If  you  desire  us  to  make  the  purchase  for 
you,  we  shall  be  glad  to  do  so.  This  is 
part  of  the  work  that  we  are  always  pre- 
pared to  perform  in  our  customers' 
interests. 

We  enclose  a  stamped  addressed  envelope 
for  your  use. 

260 


SELLING   SATISFACTION  BY  LETTER 


A  combination  acknowledgment, 
request,  and  adjustment,  that  is 
clear,  direct,  and  strictly  business 
in  tone. 


Our  correspondent,  the  Second  National  Bank, 
of  Santa  Anna,  California,  has  just  sent  us  the 
original  bill  of  lading  about  which  you  wrote  us  on 
December  20. 


This  bill  of  lading  bears  the  date  October  12,  and 
covers  2500  cases  of  canned  goods  forwarded  in 
Santa  Fe  car  1391,  to  the  order  of  the  Paramount 
Canning  Company,  of  New  York  City. 


Please    notify    the    Savoy    and    Casey    Warehouse 
Company,   Pier  32,  North  River,   New  York  City. 


Our  information  is  that  you  are  to  accept  the  deUvery 
of  this  shipment.  The  sorting  and  the  reshipping 
of  the  goods  is  to  be  taken  care  of,  we  understand, 
by  the  Savoy  and  Casey  Company. 


Any  additional  information  that  you  may  have 
about  this  order  should  be  addressed  to  our  city 
collection  department. 


We  appreciate  your  prompt  attention  to  this  matter. 


261 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  little  too  argumentative,  perhaps,  hut 
an  explicit  adjustment  nevertheless. 


Your  complaint  regarding  our  service  has  been 
received,  and  it  was  most  disturbing  to  us,  we  assure 
you.  We  have  made  a  thorogoing  investigation  and 
are  able  to  present  a  report  as  follows  : 

It  seems  that  our  Mr.  Evans,  who  is  one  of  our 
oldest  employees  and  whose  services  are  generally 
most  satisfactory  to  our  customers,  received  and 
executed  your  orders.  He  tells  us  that  he  promised 
to  have  your  goods  ready  for  you  by  four  o'clock  on 
Thursday.  However,  you  did  not  call  at  that  time, 
but  came  the  following  day  while  he  was  at  lunch. 

Two  of  our  men  inform  us  that  they  offered  to  give 
you  attention,  but  that  you  insisted  upon  seeing 
Mr.  Evans.  They  told  you,  we  understand,  that 
he  was  out  and  would  not  return  for  a  half  hour  or 
longer. 

When  you  telephoned  recently  that  the  goods  be  sent 
to  you,  all  our  messengers  were  unfortunately  under 
call.  But  Mr.  Evans  tells  us  that  you  then  agreed 
to  call  again,  on  the  following  day.  You  did  not 
do  so,  however,  owing  to  your  leaving  town  for  a 
few  days. 

As  you  requested,  the  goods  have  now  been  sent, 
and  we  trust  you  have  received  them  in  satisfactory 
condition. 

We  are  indeed  very  sorry  that  you  were  caused  so 
much  inconvenience,  and  we  venture  to  express  the 
hope  that  you  will  reconsider  your  intention  to 
transfer  your  patronage.  There  is  no  reason  under 
the  sun  why  we  should  not  give  you  the  best  service 
and  attention  to  be  had.  You  must  know  that  we 
always  intend  to  do  nothing  short  of  this.  We  have 
every  facility,  and  an  organization  trained  in  the 
very  business  of  service  extension. 

We  appreciate  your  past  favors,  and  we  are  hoping 
for  many  future  ones  in  spite  of  this  unfortunate 
occurrence. 


262 


SELLING   SATISFACTION   BY   LETTER 


Adjusting    criticism   of  collection 
methods. 


Mr.  L,  W.  Avery,  our  representative,  wrote  us  about 
the  letter  you  received  from  our  Credit  Bureau  when  he 
was  in  to  see  you  last.  We  are  very  sorry,  indeed,  that 
you  take  exception  to  our  policy  of  following  up  the 
account  promptly  in  cases  where  that  style  of 
procedure  is  not  necessary. 


It  is  easy  for  us  to  understand  the  way  you  feel  about 
it  when  that  particular  instance  is  taken  for  an 
example.  But  when  we  explain  that  such  a  mechan- 
ical routine  is  necessary  in  the  handling  of  our  32,000 
accounts,  you  can  readily  see  that  it  is  not  possible  for 
us  to  give  any  individual  account  the  personal  atten- 
tion wo  would  like.  It  is  obvious  that,  had  this  been 
possible,  you  would  not  have  received  that  particular 
letter,  for  we  should  always  take  more  conservative 
steps  where  others  were  unnecessary. 


Briefly,  the  letter  in  itself  is  no  reflection  upon  your 
credit  standing  with  the  house — it  is  merely  part  of  a 
routine  which,  according  to  our  experience,  cannot 
be  made  any  less  mechanical  than  it  is.  We  sincerely 
hope  that  you  will  accept  it  in  this  light. 


263 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Adjusting  claim  in  express  charges. 


It  is  apparent  from  your  letter  of that  we  are 

at  fault  in  not  having  taken  the  pains  to  explain  to 
you  the  theory  which  governs  this  policy  of  charging 
each  customer  for  the  transportation  expenses  he 


When  you  appreciate  the  fact  that  the  32,000 
accounts  on  the  books  of  the  New  York  office  alone 
buy  over  6200  orders  a  month,  you  will  reahze  that 
disposing  of  the  item  fairly  is  really  a  problem.  If,  for 
instance,  the  charges  on  each  shipment  averaged  50^, 
the  year's  total  would  be  $37,200.  just  for  the 
eastern  territory.  • 


In  computing  the  price  schedules  of  the  line,  an 
amount  of  this  size  would  have  to  be  considered,  and 
an  increase  in  selling  price  made  to  cover  it. 


The  theory,  then,  is  this  :  If  one  man's  monthly  orders 
total  $500.  and  another's  total  $25,000.  it  will  be 
cheaper  for  the  smaller  dealer  (and  fairer,  too)  if  he 
pays  his  own  expressage  and  buys  the  merchandise  at 
a  lower  figure.  For  if  we  paid  it  for  him — and  for 
every  one  else — that  small  dealer  would  have  to  chip 
in  for  the  biggest  man  on  the  books.  The  latter, 
in  turn,  would  not  be  paying  his  share. 


It  is  a  much  better  deal  all  around  to  buy  ten  watches 
at  $2.  each  and  add  only  15«^  for  postage,  than  it  is 
to  buy  the  same  ten  at  $2.10  each  and  have  them 
come  prepaid. 


Don't  you  think  so,  too  ! 


264 


SELLING   SATISFACTION   BY  LETTER 


A  convincing  adjustment  written  as 
a  result  of  the  salesman's  report. 


Mr.  Brough,  our  representative,  reported  just  a  few 
days  ago  that  you  were  using  one  of  our  display  fix- 
tures for  competitive  goods  and  making  additions  to 
the  regular  resale  prices  of  our  own  models.  According 
to  the  report,  you  promised  Mr.  Brough  to  correct  the 
display  error  the  following  day,  and  we  are  obliged  to 
you  for  your  fairness  in  sharing  our  opinion  that  it  is 
not  proper  to  take  any  chances  on  misleading  the 
pubUc  in  that  particular  fashion. 

A  great  deal  of  money  has  been  expended  for  publicity 
and  display  fixtures,  and  we  feel,  therefore,  that  it  is 
not  fair  to  the  public,  to  you,  or  to  us  to  have  these 
fixtures  devoted  to  the  sale  of  some  other  commodity 

than  It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  you 

have  discontinued  the  practice. 

A  spirit  of  fairness  also  enters  into  the  idea  of  increas- 
ing the  price  of  watches  over  the  current 

retailprice  of  other  estabhshments.  The  first  man  to 
suffer  on  that  score  is  yourself,  for  you  well  know  that 
other  concerns,  large,  small,  and  medium,  give  all 
kinds  of  service  and  attention  to  their  watch  customers 
at  the  regular  prices.  You  may  say  that  you  still  sell 
watches,  regardless  of  that  increase,  but  we  say  that 
you  do  not  know  the  many  more  you  could  sell  if  your 
prices  were  reduced  to  the  usual  level. 

"  One  price  to  every  one  "  is  our  reUgion  !  We  cannot 
have  any  exception  to  the  rule,  and  we  are  sure  that 
you  will  not  insist  upon  being  the  exception  when  that 
privilege  jeopardizes  the  "  greatest  good  of  the 
greatest  number." 

May  we  not  have  your  agreement  on  the  back  of  this 
letter,  stating  specifically  that  you  will  adhere  to 
the  current  prices  ? 


The  dealer's  reply  to  the  foregoing  letter. 


In  thinking  over  this  matter,  after  again  talking  to 
your  Mr.  Brough,  I  believe  you  are  right  in  regard 
to  fixed  prices  established  by  your  people,  and  I  shall 
adhere  in  future  to  regular  prices  established  by 
your  house. 


265 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  full   explanation   made   in   the 
right  tone  and  from  the  right  angle. 


I  have  your  special  delivery  letter  of  July  first 
regarding  the  sale  of  your  book  at  the  bookshop  of 
the  university.  On  June  seventh  I  wrote  them  per- 
sonally about  your  book,  asking  them  to  call  up  our 

agents,  the Company,  who  would  supply 

them  the  book  on  the  same  terms  on  which  we  our- 
selves supply  it  from  this  ofhce.  No  doubt,  if  the 
bookshop  will  refer  to  files,  our  letter  of  June  seventh 

will  be  found.  I  further  wrote  the Company, 

asking  Mr.  H.  H.  Flood,  who  is  in  charge  of  their 
educational  department,  to  call  up  the  bookshop  of 
the  university  and  arrange  for  them  to  have  copies 
of  your  book  on  hand. 


Inasmuch  as  we  do  i>ot  have  a  salesman  who  could 
call  personally,  I  thought  that  this  correspondence 
would  take  care  of  the  matter,  if  the  bookshop  was 
at  all  interested  in  giving  service.  In  this  case,  I  feel 
that  the  bookshop  itself  should  bear  at  least  half  the 
blame.  I  am  writing  Mr.  Flood  today  about  the 
situation,  in  order  to  determine  whether  he  carried 
out  my  wishes  and  got  in  touch  with  the  bookshop 

himself.    If  we  are  not  getting  service  from  the 

Company,  we,  of  course,  desire  to  know  it,  and  in  this 
case  shall  make  arrangements  with  other  concerns 
upon  whom  we  can  depend. 


I  know  how  you  feel  about  the  whole  matter  and 
certainly  regret  that  the  books  were  not  placed  on 
sale  as  you  requested.  We  expected,  of  course,  that 
the  Company  would  give  us  good  service,  and  would 
take  care  of  our  customers.  I  assure  you  that  we  do 
give  satisfactory  service  as  a  rule,  but  you  seem  to  be 
the  exception,  and  naturally,  you  are  the  one  whom 
we  want  most  to  please. 


266 


SELLING  SATISFACTION  BY  LETTER 


A  letter  that  shoxn's  the  right  attitude, 
and  convinces  by  its  sincere  ring. 


We  most  sincerely  regret  that  it  became  necessary  for 
you  to  write  us  about  the  "  Advertising  and  SeUing 
Practice  "  matter. 

Your  position  is  readily  appreciated,  and  we  have  no 

doubt  that  Mr.  is  justified  in  his  righteous 

indignation. 

On  receiving  your  letter  of  June  7,  informing  us  that 

Mr.  was  to  be  an  instructor  in  the  summer 

school,  we  immediately  followed  your  suggestion 
of  communicating  with  the  university  bookshop. 
The  enclosed  letter  was  written  in  ample  time  to 
permit  the  man  in  charge  to  order  the  book.  But 
he  made  no  reply  whatever  to  the  letter. 

It  certainly  seems  to  us  that  we  did  our  part,  but 
if  there  is  anything  else  at  all  that  you  would  like  to 
have  us  do,  say  the  word  and  it  shall  be  done. 

We  hope  that  you  will  hold  us  blameless,  and  we 
shall  appreciate  your  assuring  us  that  you  understand 
our  position. 


267 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


PRACTICE 

1.  When  you  received  your  bank  statement  at  the  end  of  last 
month,  you  found  two  errors  in  addition  and  three  in  subtraction. 
The  result  was  that  your  account  was  $21.37  less  than  it  should 
have  been.  Send  the  statement  back  for  correction.  Construct 
exact  figures  to  make  the  account  complete,  and  point  out  exact 
errors.  In  concluding  your  letter  asking  for  correction,  express 
yourself  unmistakably  on  the  subject  of  carelessness  in  balancing 
bank  accounts.  Write  a  reply  from  the  bank  covering  this 
situation. 

2.  You  bought  a  suit  of  John  Wanamaker,  Market  and  Twelfth 
Streets,  Philadelphia.  At  tEe  time  of  purchase  you  liked  the  suit, 
but  when  it  was  delivered  to  you,  you  did  not  like  it  quite  so  well. 
You  therefore  returned  it,  to  be  credited.  Write  your  letter  to 
John  Wanamaker  asking  to  have  the  suit  called  for  and  the  amount 
paid  for  it  credited  to  your  account.  Write  John  Wanamaker's 
reply  adjusting  the  matter. 

3.  On  June  16  you  sold  to  James  R.  Bennett  a  bill  of  goods 
amounting  to  $500.  The  terms  were  five  per  cent  for  cash,  sixty 
days  net.  On  August  29  you  received  his  remittance  for  $475.  It 
was  accompanied  with  another  order  for  $500.  He  has  proceeded 
in  exactly  the  same  way  on  two  former  occasions.  Write  him  an 
acknowledgment  of  both,  the  remittance  and  the  new  order,  but 
politely  call  his  attention  to  the  sixty-day  limit  in  your  terms,  and 
tell  him  that  you  cannot  permit  further  liberties  with  this  policy. 

4  You  have  overdrawn  your  account  at  the  bank.  This  is  not 
the  first  time.  You  have  done  it  before,  and  the  bank  has  always 
sent  you  a  polite  notice.  Now  you  receive  a  longer  letter  from 
the  bank,  asking  you  to  be  more  careful  about  overdrawing,  and  to 
satisfy  your  present  indebtedness  to  the  bank  at  once.  Reproduce 
the  letter  you  receive  from  the  bank.    Write  a  reply. 

5.  The  large  department  shop  with  which  you  have  an  account 
has  charged  you  on  its  monthly  statement  with  goods  that  were 
returned  and  credited  to  your  account.  Write  to  the  shop  calling 
attention  to  this  error,  and  asking  for  adjustment.  Construct 
definite  items  and  figures  to  meet  the  sitaation.  Then  write  the 
letter  of  adjustment  from  the  shop,  explaining  that  the  returned 

268 


SELLING    SATISFACTION   BY    LETTER 


goods  were  not  received  until  the  last  day  of  the  month,  after 
bills  for  that  month  had  been  made  out. 

6.  Owing  to  many  changes  in  the  clerical  force  in  your  bank, 
a  cash  letter  properly  addressed  was  sent  to  two  or  three  different 
departments  before  it  reached  the  correct  one.  This  delayed  its 
acknowledgment  unduly,  and  the  depositor  wrote  you  a  polite  but 
firm  note  complaining  of  the  delay,  reminding  you  that  such 
delays  had  occurred  before,  and  insisting  upon  better  service. 
Reproduce  his  letter.  Then  write  your  reply  to  it,  explaining  the 
cause  in  this  and  in  other  cases  of  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory 
service,  and  re-establishing  the  depositor's  good-will. 

7.  A  stationer  in  a  college  town  in  the  middle  west,  handling  your 
A-A-Double-One  Paper  Clips,  sends  you  a  hurry-up  order  for 
500  boxes  of  the  clips.  You  have  heretofore  given  a  five  per  cent 
discount  to  dealers  on  orders  for  100  boxes  or  more,  and  these  are 
the  terms  upon  which  the  present  order  is  based.  This  stationer, 
like  others  you  deal  with  in  college  towns  thruout  the  country, 
has  been  given  exclusive  rights  in  the  sale  of  A-A-Double-One 
Paper  Clips.  Increased  costs  of  production  now  make  it  necessary 
for  you  to  reduce  the  five  per  cent  discount  rate  to  three  per  cent. 
Write  a  letter  to  the  stationer  acknowledging  his  order,  and  filling 
it.  But  explain  to  him  the  new  discount  figure.  Suggest  to  him 
that  perhaps  his  trade  will  stand  a  slight  increase  in  retail  price. 
But  evince  willingness  to  have  one  hundred  or  two  hundred  boxes 
of  the  present  order  returned,  in  case  he  is  dissatisfied  with  the 
new  terms.  Enclose  evidence  in  your  letter,  and  refer  to  it,  to  the 
effect  that  all  stationers'  supplies  have  "  taken  a  jump  "  as  the 
result  of  industrial  and  economic  pressure,  and  remind  him  that 
he  has  the  exclusive  handling  of  A-A-Double-One  Paper  Clips 
in  his  community. 

8.  Mrs.  James  R.  Craven  bought  a  fireless  cooker  of  you  in  May. 
She  was  emphatic  with  instructions  that  it  be  sent  immediately  to 
her  summer  home,  two  hundred  miles  away.  She  wanted  the  stove 
for  summer  use,  and  she  was  leaving  town  the  next  day.  She  has 
been  a  good  credit  customer  for  years,  and  you  are  always  eager 
to  please  her.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  one  of  the  clerks  in  your 
shipping  department  misaddressed  the  case  in  which  the  stove  was 
packed,  the  stove  did  not  arrive  at  Mrs.  Craven's  summer  home 
until  July  8.     Moreover,  it  was  received  in  bad  condition,  and  had 

269 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


to  be  returned  for  repairs.  The  consequence  was  that  Mrs.  Craven's 
cook  spent  most  of  the  summer  at  Coolaire-by-the-Sea  sweltering 
over  a  hot  stove  of  the  old  style.  Write  the  series  of  correspondence 
involved  in  this  situation  :  (1)  Mrs.  Craven's  inquiry  as  to  the 
delay.  (2)  Your  explanation.  (3}  Mrs.  Craven's  report  on  the 
condition  of  the  stove  when  finally  received.  (4)  Your  agreement 
to  repair  immediately.  You  would  send  her  a  new  stove,  but,  owing 
to  the  summer  demand  for  fireless  cookers,  your  stock  is  depleted. 
(5)  Mrs.  Craven  acknowledges  receipt  of  the  repaired  stove  on 
August  10,  but  then  sends  it  back,  saying  that  the  summer  is  so- 
nearly  over  that  she  now  prefers  to  have  the  price  of  the  stove 
credited  to  her  account.  (6)  Your  adjustment  of  the  matter  to  her 
satisfaction. 

9.  Mr.  Harold  Bums,  188  Brockton  Place,  Brooklyn,  N.Y.,  is 
justifiably  angry  because  of  mistakes  made  in  his  monthly  state- 
ment from  your  bank.  His  letter  below  requires  an  answer  that 
will  pacify  by  means  of  logical,  wellphrased  explanation.  If  you 
look  him  up  in  the  bank  records  you  will  see  that  his  business  is 
worth  retaining  and  that  he  has  been  courteous  and  patient  in 
writing  you  previously  about  errors  in  his  account.  He  evidently 
considers  the  present  situation  the  last  straw.  Reply  to  him  in 
such  a  way  as  to  draw  from  him  a  grateful  acknowledgment. 

Gentlemen  : 

I  return  my  statement  for  October  showing  a  balance  of   $3326.43. 

You  will  note  that  there  is  an  error  in  your  final  figures.  The  difference 
between  total  checks — $5387.81 — and  total  credits — $8716.24 — should 
be  $3328.43. 

This  may  seem  a  triviality  to  you.  Perhaps  it  is.  But  in  looking  up 
my  statements  for  the  past  six  months,  I  find  that  I  have  been  obliged 
to  request  an  adjustment  practically  every  month.  The  sum  total 
of  adjustment  is  by  no  means  a  triviality,  at  least,  from  my  point  of 
view.  I  am  astounded  and  disgusted  that  a  bank  of  your  standing 
will  allow  such  consecutive  error  to  happen.  Unless  you  correct  the 
present  error  at  once  and  accompany  it  with  plausible  explanation, 
I  shall  take  my  account  to  a  bank  that  can  give  me  a  less  erratic  service. 

Very  truly  yours, 

L.  Harold  Burns. 

270 


SELLING   SATISFACTION    BY   LETTER 


10.  Mr.  James  R.  Barton,  200  Lenox  Avenue,  New  York,  an  old 
and  honored  customer  of  your  bank  and  a  stockholder  since  its 
reorganization  twenty  years  ago,  writes  the  following  letter  to  one 
of  your  vice-presidents.  He  is  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the 
bank,  of  course.  He  is  also  eager  that  his  friend,  Mr.  Horace 
Withers,  shall  find  your  bank  service  all  that  it  has  been  recom- 
mended to  be.  Write  to  Mr.  Withers,  following  up  Mr.  Barton's 
letter,  in  anticipation  of  complaint  by  Mr.  Withers. 

Dear  Mr.  Beach  : 

When  my  friend,  Mr.  Horace  Withers,  185  Putnam  Avenue,  Brooklyn, 
came  to  the  city  six  months  ago  to  make  it  his  home,  probably  for  the 
rest  of  his  life,  he  asked  me  to  recommend  a  bank.     I,  of  course, 

recommended  .     Two  months  ago  he  opened  an  account  with 

you,  but  in  conversation  with  him  last  evening,  I  learned  that  he  is 
far  from  satisfied  with  his  banking  connection. 

He  does  not  like  your  form  of  monthly  statement,  finds  it  difficult 
to  understand,  aijd  prefers  typewritten  statements  to  longhand, 
especially  since  the  latter  is  illegible.  He  believes  that  the  combination 
paying-receiving  window  system  leads  to  errors  and  confusion,  and 
holds  it  responsible  for  two  mistakes  in  his  account  that  he  has  already 
been  obliged  to  ask  you  to  correct.  Only  yesterday,  he  reports,  he 
called  at  the  bank  to  get  some  money,  and  was  greatly  surprised  and 
annoyed  when  the  teller  interrupted  payment  to  look  up  his  record  card. 

Mr.  Withers  had  still  other  complaints  to  make.  You  may  think  him 
fastidious,  and  perhaps  he  is,  but  you  will  find  that  his  business  is 
worth  holding.  May  I  suggest  that  you  write  him  a  letter,  covering 
his  dealings  with  you  to  date  and  disarming  his  criticisms  at  least  in 
part  ?  By  so  doing  you  will  save  yourselves  the  embarrassment  of 
a  stormy  letter  of  complaint  from  him  and  at  the  same  time  re-establish 
his  good  will.  It  is  not  necessary  to  mention  the  fact  that  you  have 
been  informed  of  his  dissatisfaction. 

Pardon  me. 

Very  truly  yours, 

James  R.  Barton. 


271 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


BUSINESS    LETTER    SERVICE 

Boston  New  York  Philadelphia  Chicago 


May  28 
19  30 

James  J.  Nolan,  Esq. 

415  Molt  Avenue 

New  York  City  • 

Dear  Mr.  Nolan: 

This  style  of  letter  picture  has  been  increasingly  adopted 
by  business  houses  during  the  past  few  years,  until  it  has 
now  become  almost  the  standard  style.  Paragraphs  are 
set  off  by  spaces  only.    There  are  no  paragraph  indentions. 

The  various  parts  of  the  letter  should  always  be  kept  in 
marginal  harmony.  It  is  somewhat  better  taste  to  indent 
paragraphs  when  the  inside  address  is  written  with  diag- 
onal margin.  When  blocked  paragraphing  is  used,  as  in 
this  letter,  the  inside  address  and  the  other  parts  should  be 
blocked.  To  write  the  inside  address  diagonally  in  a  letter 
that  is  blocked  in  paragraphing,  suggests  just  a  little  lack 
of  harmony.    Still,  this  combination  is  very  often  seen. 

Open  punctuation  is  usually  identified  with  the  blocked 
style  of  letter;  closed  punctuation  with  the  indented  para- 
graphing and  the  diagonal  margining. 

Truly  yours, 


^/^  ^  C^'^^^u^ 


Assistant  Manager 


John  B.  Opdycke 
EMS 


272 


CHAPTER  VI 

SELLING  COMMODITY.    SERVICE,    OR 
IDEA    BY  LETTER 

'TmmsSkmksptT  ■',.!  ke  kmen 

"  We'U  bmt  coir  .:,i  we  twrn 

We  have  always  with  us  a  goodly  propcurtioii  ot  bad  sales  letters. 
Why  ?  P^haps,  as  some  mie  has  gaily  suggested,  it  is  because 
the  vast  maj(»rity  of  sales  letters  are  writtea  by  Men  of  Forty — 
men  in  the  mid-stream  of  life.  Forty  is  so  fixed  in  the  fight  that 
its  points  of  view  are  nsnally  subjective.  The  sales  letter  demands, 
mcMre  than  any  other  and  more  than  anything  else,  objective 
treatment.  Asking  and  expecting  Forty  to  pat  off  the  subjective 
and  put  on  the  objective  is  very  much  like  asking  and  expecting 
the  leopard  to  scatter  its  spots. 

WhatevH-  of  ill  repute  has  come  to  be  associated  vnith  business 
lett^s  and  business  En^ish  in  general,  has  beai  very  krgdy 
derived  frcHn  the  judgments  passed  upon  bad  sales  letters.  Gaudi> 
ness  of  form,  inaccuracy  in  oompositioii,  aggressiveness  of  tone — 
general  debauchery  of  line  and  lean  and  language — these  have 
been  the  damning  ^rors.  They  have  been  caused  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten  by  the  sales  letto-  writo-'s  inabihty  to  get  avray  from 
himself,  by  his  inabihty  to  objectify  his  message,  by  his  inability 
to  "  other  "  himself.  And  it  may  be  that  self-efiacenait  is  not  a 
prominent  characteristic  of  Fatty.  It  is  the  age  of  Ego,  rather 
than  You-go.  It  may  be  the  age  beautiful,  but  it  is  also  the  age 
u^.  It  may  achieve,  but  it  also  fails.  It  strug^es,  yes,  but  it 
also  falls  inert.  It  is  the  romantic  age— yea,  verily — but  it  is 
also  the  sordid,  dr3^asdust,  realistic,  materialistic  age.  It  is  the 
age  ^n^ien  the  years  take  hold  and  sdl  and  advertise  a  man.  But 
it  is  likewise  the  age  v^en  a  man  is  least  aide  effectively  to  sdl  and 
advertise  himself  and  his  goods  and  chattels. 

And  so,  train  up  a  man  while  he  is  3^ung  in  the  way  of  sales 
letters,  and  when  he  is  Forty  he  may  not  depart  thoefrom.  Moreover 
a  good  sales  letter  writer  will  eventually  be  able  to  fill  any  position 
in  your  firm,  from  the  hveried  doorman  to  the  president.  He  will 
know  and  be  able  to  practice  the  gospels  of  vosatiHty,  adaptabitity , 
omgeniafity,  and  concentration.    That  is  to  say,  he  will  know 

273 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


how  to  turn,  how  to  conform,  how  to  smile,  and  how  to  stick. 
Whereas  those  in  your  employment  who  cannot  write  sales  letters 
may  be  able  to  do  none  of  these  things  well,  if  at  all. 

Sales   letters   arS   frequently   confused   with    advertising.     But 

Chart  for  sales  letter  analysis  and  correlation 


Thit  eh»rt  used  inconne«ioo»ith  papt 
read  bcfftre  the  Better  l>etien  AuoCii 
(ion  II  Springfield,  Mm.by  Edward  H 
SchulM.  Prwideni.  M.  I.  P  Co 
lion,  2IO  Writ  42nd  Strcti.  New 
Copvf>gh»  1920. 


TJ-y 


MANAGER  OF  SALES 

C0NSULT1N6 

MAll.S/UXSEXP 

cRT 

^l  

_  j 

ADVERTISING 
MANAGER 

MANAQER. 
MALL  SALES  DEPT 

MANAGER. 
RESEARCH  DEPT 

f 

LISTS 
liicharqccHtUavK 

PLANS 

MECHANICS 

IS-:?: 

(WSIOIEK^ 

nocFBin 

mEPBTS 

I 

I 

k«nos  3up»rviMr      ^  k. 


that  U»  prlntW 

Mtlc  tjfiMirUliM 
flU-lu.  .t«.  1> 

MVl.Ul   l«   ..In 
•f  a^Uiic  dat<. 


la  chATj*  wf  M&ll- 


la  •!>««•  I 

Olatt  >t»  I 

•St  raxiltl 


they  are,  of  course,  very  different.  They  have  been  called  miniature 
advertisements,  potential  publicity,  epistolary  billboards.  They 
have  elements,  to  be  sure,  that  are  common  to  advertising  copy. 
They  talk  to  you.  They  describe  and  explain  the  merits  of  a 
salable  article  or  service.  They  make  use  of  the  various  appeals 
employed  in  advertising.  But  their  similarities  go  little  further, 
while  their  differences  are  legion.  The  sales  letter  is  personal,  and 
should  be  written  from  the  personal  and  individual  slant.  The 
advertisement  is  impersonal,   and  is  written  from  the  collective 


274 


SELLING   COMMODITY,    ETC. 


point  of  view.  The  sales  letter  elbows  its  way  thru  a  crowd  and 
has  a  word  with  every  one  in  its  path.  The  advertisement  speaks — 
megaphones — from  a  platform  to  the  crowd  before  it.  The  sales 
letter  is  microscopic ;    the  advertisement  telescopic. 

The  two,  therefore,  have  elements  in  common  at  the  same  time 
that  they  have  elements  widely  differentiated.  Chief  among  their 
similarities  is  this  :  The  sales  letter  is  an  objective  appeal  for  sales  ; 
so,  too,  is  the  advertisement.  Chief  among  their  differences  is 
this  :  The  sales  letter  is  intimate  and  personal,  while  the  advertise- 
ment is  general.  So  much,  then,  by  way  of  salient  difference  and 
similarity.  In  the  analysis  of  a  sales  letter  problem,  it  will  be 
found  that  valuable  comparisons  and  contrasts  may  be  made  with 
a  corresponding  analysis  of  an  advertising  problem.  In  the 
methodology  of  sales  letter  composition,  it  will  be  found  that 
attention  may  well  be  given  to  the  methodology  in  a  corresponding 
piece  of  advertising  copy.  By  keeping  advertising  in  mind  while 
constructing  a  sales  letter,  you  will  oftentimes  be  able  to  arrive  at 
vital  selections  and  rejections  of  material.  And  it  is  well  always  to 
remember  on  the  one  hand  that  sales  letters  frequently  complement 
and  focus  advertising  copy,  and  on  the  other  hand  that  advertising 
copy  frequently  prepares  the  way  for  sales  letters  and  re-enforces 
them. 

The  following  questionnaire  outline  suggests  what  is  meant  by 
the  analysis  of  the  sales  letter  problem.  And  this  analysis  stands 
first  in  importance  in  the  processes  of  sales  letter  writing. 

ANALYSIS   OF  THE   SALES   LETTER   PROBLEM 
I.     What  is  to  be  sold  ? 
\.  A  commodity  ? 

2.  A  service  ? 

3.  An  idea  ? 

II.     What  is  the  sales  problem  ? 

1 .  To  introduce  ? 

2.  To  increase  ? 

3.  To  re-feature  ? 

4.  To  stimulate  or  re-direct  ? 

III.     Who  are  the  prospects  ? 

1.  Men  or  women,  or  both  ? 

2.  Professional,  trade,  leisure,  laboring  class  1 

3.  Young  or  old,  rich  or  poor,  intelligent  or  unintelligent  ? 
■'              4.  Acquainted  with  or  ignorant  of  the  offering  ? 

•  5.  Dealers  or  consumers  dii^ect  ? 

275 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


IV.     What  is  the  territory  ? 

1.  Rural  or  urban  ? 

2.  Industrial,  suburban,  commercial  ? 

3.  Active  or  inactive,  growing  or  static  ? 

4.  Susceptible  or  unsusceptible  to  the  offering  ? 

V.     What  is  the  advertising  correlation  ? 

1 .  Advance  or  simultaneous  ? 

2.  Billboard,  paper,  direct,  etc.  ? 

3.  Character  of  the  copy  and  illustration  ? 

4.  Returns,  if  any,  for  different  kinds  ? 

5.  Does  it  suggest  leads  for  sales  letter  argument  ? 

Vr.     What  is  the  sales  correlation  ? 

1.  Covered  or  not  covered  by  salesmen  ? 

2.  Sales  record  in  territories  ? 

3.  Sales  reports  on  territories  ? 

4.  Branch  offices,  dealers,  express,  mail,  demonstrators,  etc.  ? 

5.  Does  it  suggest  leads  for  sales  letter  argument  ? 

VII.     What  is  the  competition  ? 

1.  In  advertising  ? 

2.  In  personal  sales  ? 

3.  In  direct  mail  ? 

4.  In  intensity  and  "  extensity  "  ? 

VIII.     What  are  the  terms  ? 

1.  Instalment  ? 

2.  Straight  sales  ? 

3.  Trial  offers  ? 

4.  Special  price  ? 

5.  Reduction  and  discounts  ? 

After  the  sales  field  has  been  thoroly  studied  along  these  and 
related  lines,  the  sales  letter  writer  needs  to  decide  upon  his  method 
of  attack  and  construct  his  letter  layout  or  plan.  The  following 
plan  may  be  of  assistance  in  this  department  of  the  work : 


ANALYSIS   OF   THE   SALES   LETTER  METHOD 

I.     The  purpose  must  be 

1.  To  secure  inquiry. 

2.  To  answer  inquiry. 

3.  To  sell  immediately. 

4.  To  prepare  for  follow-up. 

5.  To  initiate  or  to  increase  sales. 

6.  To  acquaint  with  special  features. 

7.  To  convince  stubborn  prospects. 

8.  To  revive  old  prospects. 

276 


SELLING  COMMODITY,    ETC. 


II.     The  letter  picture  must  be 

1.  Impressive  in  appearance. 

2.  Attractive  in  form. 

3.  Inviting  in  typography. 

4.  Memorable  in  make-up. 


III. 

The  composition  must  be 

1.  Arresting. 

2.  Appealing. 

3.  Truthful. 

4.  Climactic. 

IV. 

The  writer  must  be 

1.  Creative. 

2.  Expert. 

3.  Sincere. 

4.  Forceful. 

V. 

The  prospect  must  be 

1.  Attracted. 

2.  Interested. 

3.  Convinced. 

4.  Moved. 

VI. 

The  commodity  must  be 

Short- 

1.  Dramatized. 

2.  Humanized. 

3.  Rationalized. 

4.  Energized. 

VII. 

The  sales  letter  must  resist 

read  and  heeded. 

Plans  are  valuable  in  proportion  as  they  are  workable,  and  in 
proportion  as  they  are  fluid  and  flexible  enough  to  be  adapted  to 
a  variety  of  situations.  They  invariably  represent  ideals,  as  they 
should  do,  and  they  invariably  serve  as  guides  if  they  do  not 
completely  solve.  The  best  plans,  hke  the  best  rules,  sometimes 
fail.  The  most  remote  deviation  from  plans,  like  the  most  flagrant 
violation  of  rules,  sometimes  defies  failure  and  produces  success. 
The  above  plans  are  positively  worthless  to  the  sales  letter  writer 
who  does  not  know  and  who  does  not  feel — who  does  not  know  man 
and  merchandise  and  the  mother  tongue,  and  who  cannot  feel  and 
feel  keenly  the  stimulus  of  an  acute  sales  situation  and  react 
warmly  to  it. 

The  two  letters  following  illustrate  briefly  the  direct  application  of 
the  problem  plan  and  the  method  plan  to  sales  letter  composition. 

277 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  first  sales  letter  problem  is  analyzed  under  A,  and  the 
composition  methodized  under  B  below  : 

A  B 

I.    1 — Commodity  I.  1 — To  secure  inquiry 

II.    4 — To  stimulate  or  redirect  TI.  1-4 — Detached     and    "  sum- 
Ill.    1-2 — Professional   women    of                          mary."     Unusual     run-on 

temporary  leisure  make-up 

IV.     I — Rural,  via  libraries  III.  1-4 — ^Arresting  and  climactic 

V.    2 — Occasional  papers  IV.  1 — Creative 

VI.    4 — Mail  and  express  V.  1-2 — Attraction  and  interest 
VII.     1-3 — Rival  bookshops                                       aimed  at 

VIII.     2 — Straight  sales  VI.  1 — Dramatization  aimed  at 


Following  the  "  diagnosis  "  above 


Imagine — 

Being  up  there  in  the  hills,  with  their  cool  nights 
and  their  torrid  noons —  j 

Being  free  as  the  air,  quiet  as  the  clouds,  idle  as  the 
day  is  long — 

Being  mentally  keen,  because  physically  restored 
and  spiritually  purified  as  a  result  of  sweet  communion 
with  Nature's  summertime — 

And,  then,  imagine 

Having  nary  a  book  or  a  magazine  to  increase  the 
riches  of  your  gladsome  surroundings  and  to  enable 
you  to  be  an  even  more  radiant  companion  for  those 
who  share  out-of-doors  with  you. 

Wouldn't  it  be — anguish  ? 

"  A  babbUng  brook,  a  verdant  tree,  a  story  book — 
enough  for  me  !  " 

Our  'phone— 2680  Circle. 

Or  perhaps  you'd  prefer  to  check  titles  on  the  card  in 
the  enclosed  stamped  envelope  ? 

Anyhow,  a  joyous  summer  to  you  ! 


278 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


Following  the   "diagnosis"  on  page  280 


"OLD  FOLKS  AT  HOME" 

You  have  helped  in  the  past  to  make  this  comfy 
maxim  a  reaUty  to  some  very  dear  and  very  worthy 
and  very  grateful  Old  Folks. 

You  will  be  ready  to  help  again,  we  feel  sure,  when 
you  ponder  the  fact,  that  here  in  the  Seabury  Home, 
more  perhaps  than  anywhere  else,  your  generous 
charities  count  directly  to  the  last  full  penny's  worth 
toward  the  relief  and  the  security  of  those  who  are 
pre-eminently  deserving. 

There  is  no  expenditure  in  this  "  homey  home  "  for 
charitable  fads  and  frills.  There  is  no  exorbitant 
and  elusive  overhead.  As  you  well  enough  know, 
the  Seabury  Home  is  just  a  little,  unpretentious 
hearthstone  beaming  with  the  spirit  of  the  greatest 
amount  of  good  with  the  least  amount  of  fuss  for 
the  worthiest  among  those  who  have  spent  their 
lives  in  the  cause  of  art  or  music  or  literature  or 
education,  and  who  have  fought  the  fight  not  wisely 
perhaps,  but  too  well. 

But  the  Seabury  Home  has  been  having — is  having — 
its  struggle  with  the  increased  cost  of  food,  supplies, 
and  service.  At  present  there  is  a  deficit  of  $3928.67, 
which  has  been  met  by  funds  borrowed  from  the 
Mount  Vernon  Trust  Company.  This  indebtedness 
must  be  discharged.  Future  deficit  must  be  pro- 
vided against.  Otherwise  this  congenial  home  for 
twenty-five  old  folks  will  be  seriously  harassed  in 
its  management. 

As  a  friend  in  need,  and  a  friend  in  deed,  You  will 

HELP   us   NOW,   won't   YOU   PLEASE  ? 

Thank  you. 


279 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  second  sales  letter  problem  is  analyzed  under  A,  and  the 
composition  is  methodized  under  B  below : 

A  B 

y\'    J"?.®""^^^^  I-    3-6-8— To  get  new  contribu- 

tJJ-    l~:^Vr^:}T^'^^^  ,         ,  tio^S'    and    to   re-interest 

III.  3-4— Well-to-do  people   who  old  contributors 

have      evinced      interest  tt     t    ^     o 

befQj-e  ,  li.    1-4 — bpecial  make-up 

IV.  2-4 — Suburban  —  Susceptible         III.    2-4^ — Appealing  and  climactic 

^1     ?~S"'^''^    .     .•       T.  X  IV-    3-4— Sincere  and  forceful 

VI.    4 — Demonstration  by  way  of 

receptions,  benefits,  etc.  ^'    4— Moved 
VII.    4 — ^Tremendous     number     of  VI.    1-2 — Dramatized  and  human- 
charitable    appeals    being  ized 
made 
VIII.     1-2 — People  may  pledge  sup- 
port or  instalment 

There  are  no  inconsiderable  dramatic  values  attaching  to  the 
sale  of  goods  over  the  counter,  or  in  other  ways  and  places.  These 
values  are  distinctly  heightened  when  the  direct  man-to-man 
relationship  is  absent  and  the  sales  accessories  have  to  be  synthetized 
thru  the  medium  of  a  sheet  of  commercial  stationery.  Here  are 
demands  upon  the  feelings  and  the  imagination  akin  to  those  made 
upon  the  actor.  The  concrete  situation  has  to  be  visualized  and 
felt.  The  sales  letter  writer  must  actually  be,  as  far  as  his  feeling 
and  imagination  are  concerned,  the  word-of-mouth  salesman.  He 
must  concretize  the  setting,  the  prospect,  the  commodity.  He 
must  tell  the  sales  story  vividly,  as  if  to  a  present  and  attentive 
listener.  And  he  must  do  and  be  all  of  this  to  an  intensified  degree 
because  orf  the  indirect  medium  used — the  letter,  and  because  of 
the  impossibility  of  using  such  direct  mediums  as  the  human  voice 
and  personality  in  general.  The  problem  is  therefore  a  highly 
complex  one. 

The  completely  organized  sale  was  long  ago  outlined  in  the 
five  steps :  Attention,  Interest,  Desire,  Conviction,  Action.  The 
writer  who  first  formulated  these  steps  in  the  sales  process  probably 
had  no  intention  of  being  taken  quite  so  literally  and  so  seriously 
as  he  has  been  taken  by  subsequent  writers  on  the  subject.  The 
steps  have  unfortunately  been  construed  very  often  in  the  letter 
rather  than  in  the  spirit.  They  are  to  be  used  and  followed  and 
adapted  as  and  when  needed  by  the  sales  letter  writer.     They  are 

280 


SELLING   COMMODITY,    ETC. 


to  be  thrown  to  the  winds  on  occasion.  If  they  are  made  the 
be-all  and  the  end-all  of  sales  letter  composition,  they  will  go  a 
long  way  toward  helping  a  writer  to  achieve  letters  that  are  deadly 
perfect  and  splendidly  null.  These  steps  are,  rather,  to  be  kept  in 
the  background,  as  veiled  mechanics  if  you  like.  The  individuality 
of  the  house  that  sponsors  a  letter,  and  the  personalized  quality  of 
its  composition,  are  to  be  brought  to  the  fore.  Any  formula  that 
hinders  or  detracts  from  spontaneity  and  refreshingness  of  tone 
should  be  scrapped.  There  must  be  basic  principle,  underground 
and  invisible  foundation,  but  these  will  never  of  themselves  impart 
the  subtler  and  more  insinuating  quality  or  fresco  structure  without 
which  formula  is  a  mechanical  code  only,  and  not  a  contagious 
creed.  And  all  of  this  applies  to  our  outlines  or  "  finding  charts  " 
above.  They  are  valuable  enough  to  be  typed  on  large  cards 
and  posted  in  the  "  scribbleatory."  They  are  useless  enough  to 
be  ignored,  and — no  harm  done. 

The  essential  tactics  are  to  study  in  every  way  from  every  angle 
your  particular  sales  problem  and  to  hit  upon  the  method  that 
you  can  best  use  to  solve  it.  For  Jones,  in  one  sales  situation, 
attention  may  mean  asking  a  question  ;  interest,  telling  a  story ; 
desire,  applying  the  commodity  or  the  service  or  idea  to  be  sold  to 
the  prospect's  milieu  ;  conviction,  quoting  testimony  ;  and  action, 
enclosing  an  order  blank.  For  Smith,  in  quite  another  situation, 
attention  may  mean  referring  to  a  news  item  ;  interest,  applying  the 
news  item  to  the  prospect's  own  affairs ;  desire,  telling  a  story  of 
what  has  been  accomplished  by  the  commodity  to  be  sold ;  con- 
viction, proving  that  ten  of  the  prospect's  neighbors  are  already 
owners  of  it ;  and  action,  closing  with  a  terse  suggestion  of  depletion 
of  stock.  And  so  on.  If  a  sales  letter  writer  is  full  of  his  subject, 
has  sympathy  with  his  feUows,  and  knows  the  English  language, 
he  will  be  harassed  rather  than  helped  by  cut-and-dried  formulas 
of  procedure.  He  will  be  likely  to  turn  these  formal  steps  of  sales 
method  topsy-turvy  on  occasion,  and  with  Al  results. 

In  the  same  way  the  early  writers  on  the  subject  of  sales  letters 
were  very  prone  to  urge  the  featuring  of  you  wherever  and  whenever 
anything  was  to  be  offered  for  sale.  But  this  dictum  is  likewise 
taken  cum  grano  by  present-day  business  writers. 

You  may  appeal  to  the  prospect  by  the  direct  featuring  of  you, 
a  you  like,  and  think  it  best  to  do  so.     The  second  peri:onal  pronoun 

281 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


may  be  made  to  function  forcefully  in  almost  any  kind  of  sales 
appeal.  Instead  of  saying,  "  We  have  an  extraordinary  opportunity 
to  offer  you,"  you  will  probably  find  it  more  appealing  to  say, 
"  You  will  be  interested,  we  think,  in  this  extraordinary  oppor- 
tunity." The  personal  pronouns  /  and  we,  with  their  modifications, 
have  naturally  but  very  limited  interest  for  a  prospect.  He  is 
humanly  and  properly  interested  in  himself.  Play,  therefore,  to 
his  legitimate  interest  in  himself.  Get  him  into  your  letter  picture 
and  action  just  as  soon  as  you  can,  and  keep  him  there.  Feature 
him.  Feature  also,  of  course,  the  thing  you  are  trying  to  sell  him, 
and  feature  it  in  relation  to  him  and  his  life.  Feature  yourself — 
the  seller — not  at  all. 

But  be  careful  not  to  overdo  the  yott-SLppesl.  The  overplay  of 
the  word  you  may  result  in  suspicion  or  offense.  Many  people 
resent  being  written  at  instead  of  being  written  to.  The  old  you- 
style  has  gone  out.  Business  writers  have  learned  by  experience 
that  it  is  better  to  insinuate  the  you-motii  in  a  sales  letter  thru 
the  total  ensemble  of  parts,  rather  than  thru  the  string  instruments 
or  the  wind  instruments  alone  !  It  is  possible  to  give  the  impression 
of  focusing  all  your  letter  composition  toward  the  one  you  are 
addressing,  without  making  your  references  to  him  noisy  and 
blatant.  The  important  thing  is,  to  be  second-personal  in  your 
sales  letter  attitude  and  psychology.  Aim  to  be  particularly  so 
at  the  opening  of  a  sales  composition.  "  Well  begun  is  half  done  " 
applies  nowhere  with  greater  force  and  appropriateness  than  to 
the  first  part  of  a  sales  letter.  Aim  to  make  the  prospect  yours 
at  the  very  beginning  of  a  letter,  just  as  a  short  story  writer  aims 
to  clinch  interest  and  make  the  reader  his  at  the  very  beginning  of 
a  story — in  the  first  sentence,  phrase,  or  word.  Then  make  the 
follow-up  worthy  of  this  gripping  start. 

Striking  and  impressive  openings  of  sales  letters  may  be  secured 
by  means  of  question,  command,  quotation,  testimony,  guarantee,  . 
big  fact  or  claim,  suggestive  news  event,  human  interest  note,  predica- 
ment situation,  and  the  like.  These  may  stand,  either  as  part  of 
the  first  paragraph  of  the  letter  proper,  or  they  may  be  effectively 
run  in  display  headlines.  Tact  and  judgment  must  be  exercised, 
of  course,  in  the  use  of  any  one  of  them.  A  mere  yes-ox -no  question 
is  valueless.  The  tickler  question  should  be,  rather,  a  thought- 
provoking  question,  one  that  requires  a  degree  of  meditation  before 

282 


SELLING   COMMODITY,    ETC. 


it  can  be  answered.  Similarly,  a  dictatorial  command  repels  rather 
than  attracts  attention  ;  a  quotation,  or  a  reference  to  a  news 
event  that  has  no  bearing  whatever  upon  the  content  of  the  letter, 
diverts  rather  than  concentrates  attention  ;  testimony  or  guarantee 
or  big  fact  that  does  not  ring  true  discounts  any  sort  of  follow-up, 
however  well  made  ;  a  human-interest  note  or  a  predicament 
episode  that  is  not  self-interpretative  bungles  the  motif  of  the  sales 
letter  instead  of  clarifying  and  harmonizing  it. 

In  this  most  salient  point  of  the  sales  letter — the  opening — the 
author  may  do  well  always  to  dramatize  and  harmonize  and  con- 
cretize his  subject  in  the  first  few  words.  This  is  the  place  par 
excellence  for  specific  rather  than  generic  diction  and  phraseology 
and  subject  matter.  "  Jones  sat  looking  Smith  squarely  in  the 
eye,"  is  obviously  better  than,  "  They  were  looking  at  each  other." 
The  former  is  a  sulphide,  the  latter  a  bromide.  The  sales  letter 
is  sometimes  said  to  require  no  introduction  and  no  conclusion. 
Its  opening  sentence  must  be  arresting  and  immediate  ;  its  last, 
impressive  and  irresistible.  There  is  no  place  in  it  for  preliminaries 
or  for  conclusion.  It  starts  and  it  stops.  It  would  seem,  therefore, 
to  be  especially  fatal  and  wasteful  to  make  use  of  hackneyed, 
stereotyped,  useless,  or  repelling  phrases  in  these  two  salient 
positions.  Yet  the  following  stilted  and  aggressive  expressions 
have  been  taken  from  these  very  positions  in  sales  letters.  They 
could  be  partly  forgiven,  perhaps,  ifi  everyday  letters,  but  in 
sales  letters — never  ! 


OBJECTIONABLE   OPENINGS 


We  beg  to  say- 
Just  a  moment 
We  would  state 
Attached  hereto 
We  would  advise 
We  beg  to  inform 
In  regard  to  the 
We  take  pleasure 
Enclosed  herewith 
In  reply  would  say 
Permit  us  to  advise 
In  the  month  of  June 
You  are  losing  money 
Enclosed  please  find 
Replying  to  your  favor 
Wake  up — Spring's  here 


283 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Can  we  interest  you  in  ? 

$5,000.000. — that's  us  ! 

Esteemed  favor  at  hand 

In  compliance  with  yours 

Regarding  your  communication 

I  take  pleasure  in  informing 

Contents  of  yours  duly  noted 

Yours  of  recent  date  at  hand 

We  are  pleased  to  inform  you 

Let  me  call  your  attention  to 

Pursuant  to  yours  of  even  date 

Yours  of  15  inst  has  come  to  hand 

May  I  be  permitted  to  interest  you  in  ? 

Suppose  you  hadn't  a  cent  in  the  world  ! 


OBJECTIONABLE   CLOSINGS 


And  oblige 
Beg  to  remain 

Awaiting  your  further  orders 
Do  it  now — or  you'll  get  left  ! 
Trusting  this  will  be  satisfactory 
Yours  for  service  and  satisfaction 
Assuring  you  of  our  best  attentions 
Under  other  cover  you  are  receiving 
Standing  ready  to  serve  you  further 
Yours  for  half  price  while  they  last 
Hoping  this  meets  with  your  approval 
Please  use  the  enclosed  card  at   once 
Trust  us  to  trust  you,  and  order  now 
Urging  you  not  to  pass  this  chance  up 
Hoping  that  you  will  not  delay  longer 
Anticipating  your  order  by  return  mail 
Thanlang  you  in  advance  for  your  order 
Gobble  them  up  now  or  it  will  be  too  late 
Trusting  that  you  will  not  delay  ordering 
We  are  in  your  humble  and  obedient  service 
You  may  go  further  but  you  cannot  do  better 
Let  us  save  you  all  this  trouble  and  expense 
Thanks  for  the  privilege  of  thus  addressing  you    . 
Looking  forward  to  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  on 
Regretting  our  inability  to  talk  with  you  personally 
Assuming  this  will  meet  with  your  entire  satisfaction 
Regretting  the  oversight  and  the  inconvenience  thus  entailed 
Expecting  to  receive  your  order,  no  unforseen  circumstances  preventing 
Assuring  you  that  you  will  make  no  mistake  in  placing  your  order  promptly 
Wishing  you  the  best  of  success  with  our  new  machine  which  you  are 
about  to  order 


Pray  you,  avoid  these,  and  others  Hke  them.     Some  are  old  and 
meaningless  ;    others  are  impolite  and  flippant ;    still  others  are 


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SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


negative  and  altogether  out  of  place  in  any  kind  of  letter,  and 
especially  in  a  sales  letter. 

The  close  of  the  sales  letter  is  equally  as  sensitive  as  the  opening. 
It  is  not  sufficient  here  merely  to  make  the  prospect  act :  the  action 
must  be  made  as  easy  and  natural  and  automatic  as  possible. 
This  wiU  never  be  done  by  hoping  or  trusting  or  assuring  or  antici- 
pating, or  by  invoking  the  rest  of  the  participial  parade.  Any 
possible  hindrance  to  action  should  be  overcome  just  here.  Is  it 
lack  of  money  ?  Make  terms.  Is  it  false  economy  ?  Show  actual 
gain  to  be  made.  Is  it  sheer  desire  to  avoid  effort  ?  Supply 
stamped  addressed  envelope,  with  other  sales  paraphernalia.  Is  it 
fear  or  loss  or  dissatisfaction  ?  Make  return  easy.  Is  it  habitual 
inertia  and  callousness  ?  Brisk  up  the  conclusion  with  a  brief 
command  or  question  or  suggestion  of  action. 

".This  is  yours  for  a  simple  little  yes  on  the  enclosed  return  card. 
And  you  don't  even  have  to  write  it :  check  it." 

is   obviously  a   vastly   more  powerful  antidote    to  inertia   than 

"  Hoping  you  will  favour  us  with  your  approval  on  the  enclosed  card." 

The  former  is  a  Klaxon  call  to  conviction  ;   the  latter,  a  lullaby. 

Between  the  beginning  and  the  ending  of  the  sales  letter,  what 
shall  the  message  be  ?  What  shall  be  a  worthy  follow-up  to  the 
arresting  headline  or  first  paragraph  ?  What  shall  constitute  a 
worthy  antecedent  to  the  final  clincher  paragraph  ?  Well,  argument 
and  exposition,  story  and  picture,  dialog  and  soliloquy  and  monolog, 
reason-why  and  character  appeals,  facts  and  figures,  testimony 
and  gossip,  deduction  and  induction,  cost  and  price  and  value — 
these  and  other  media  like  them  may  be  employed  as  the  meat  of 
the  message.  Here  the  expert  sales  letter  writer  makes  the  most 
of  his  opportunity  to  build  toward  a  climax,  to  radiate  an  attitude 
of  genuine  honesty  and  sincerity  and  helpfulness,  to  elucidate  and 
rationalize  and  energize.  It  is  his  parade  ground.  If  the  first 
paragraph  says  :  "  Company,  Attention  !  "  and  the  last :  *'  Forward 
March  !  "  then  those  paragraphs  between  perform  the  tactics  of 
mass  formation. 

While  letterhead  illustration  and,  perhaps,  color  and  type  display 
may  help  to  do  the  work  of  the  first  paragraph  ;  while  inducement 
or  other  special  opportunity  may  help  to  re-enforce  the  effectiveness 

285 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


of  the  last  paragraph  of  the  sales  letter,  the  paragraphs  between 
must  be  made  to  stand  on  their  own.  They  must  prove  their 
worth  by  internal,  intrinsic  merit.  Arguments  must  be  logical ; 
pictures  must  be  clear ;  stories  must  be  consistent ;  characteriza- 
tion must  be  realistic  ;  explanations  must  be  plausible,  or  the 
whole  letter  fabric  falls  apart.  The  test  of  thought-power  comes 
in  these  middle-place  paragraphs.  The  writer  must  prove  in  these 
his  ability  for  consecutive  and  cumulative  thinking.  He  must 
write  short  paragraphs  that  reveal  by  their  brevity  the  graded 
steps  of  his  thought  processes  :  that  aiford  by  the  spaces  between 
them  grasp-gaps  and  reflection-runways  for  the  reader.  The  writer 
here  has  an  opportunity  to  prove  himself  a  creative  expert,  provided 
he  also  makes  it  clear  that  he  is  a  modest  and  sincere  one.  The 
prospect  here,  if  ever,  expects  to  be  interested  and  convinced.  Here 
letter  tone  and  sales  personality  are  of  paramount  importance. 
Here  is  at  once  both  the  Waterloo  and  the  Chateau  Thierry  of 
sales  letter  strategy. 

Hackneyed  terms  have  no  more  business,  of  course,  in  strategic 
letter  positions  than  crippled  veterans  have  in  strategic  military 
positions.  Still,  the  following  have  been  plucked  from  the  over-ripe 
phraseology  of  twentieth  century  sales  letters  ! 

MID-LETTER    BROMIDES 
as  per 

in  due  course 
in  so  far  as 
in  regard  to 
in  relation  to 
at  an  early  date 
on  the  other  hand 
along  these  lines 
in  this  connection 
as  above  mentioned 
in  accordance  with 
as  the  case  may  be 
however  that  may  be 
as  a  matter  of  fact 
earliest  convenience 
as  to  our  proposition 
now,  on  the  other  hand 

owing  to  the  fact  that  , 

at  the  present  writing 
in  connection  therewith 
with  your  kind  permission 
whatever  the  situation  may  be 


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SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


let  us  call  your  attention  to 

at  the  earliest  possible  moment 

we  are  taking  up  the  matter  with 

in  so  far  as  it  is  humanly  possible 

so  you  see  you  will  make  no  mistake 

same  shall  receive  our  prompt  attention 

circumstances  over  which  we  have  no  control 

we  take  pleasure  in  handling  or  sending  you  herewith 

thru  an  inadvertance  on  the  part  of  our  mailing  dept. 


Pray  you,  avoid  these  also.  They  bungle  logic,  blur  picture, 
and  stifle  story. 

Following  are  a  few  constructive  business-building  words  that 
are  worthy  of  cultivation  in  sales  letters.  They  will  prove  better 
sales  friends  than  the  bromides  listed  just  above  : 


acceptable 

eager 

impressive 

satisfaction 

achieve 

earnest 

initiative 

see 

agreeable 

encourage 

interesting 

sensible 

approval 

endeavor 

inviting 

sincere 

asset 

endow 

straightforward 

attain 

enjoy 

just 

strong 

attention 

energetic 

substantial 

attractive 

enthusiastic 

keen 
kindly 

success 

auspicious 

excellent 

support 

behooving 

believe 

beneficial 

best 

building 

faithful 

felicitous 

fortunate 

foster 

frank 

largess 
luckily 

maximum 
merrily 

thank 

thoroly 

thoughtful 

tone 

trustworthy 

truthful 

capital 

multiply 

useful 

capable 
certainly 

generous 
genial 

new 

utility 

character 

genuine 

cheer 

glad 

optimistic 

vigorous 

vim 

vitally 

concur 

gracious 

confidence 

great 

perfect 

congenial 

growth 

please 

well 

constructive 
cordial 

guarantee 
guide 

positive 
power 

willingly 
wish 

correct 

work 

courteous 

happy 

relief 

health 

rely 

yes 

delight 

help 

revelation 

you 

desiralbe 

high 

rise 

dignified 

honest 

royal 

zest 

287 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  sales  letter  writer  cannot  be  too  nice  in  the  focusing  of  his 
various  sales  messages.  It  is  not  enough  for  him  to  construct  one 
letter  for  men  and  another  for  women.  His  differentiation  must 
be  more  highly  refined  than  this.  What  classes  of  men  ?  Farmers 
or  grocers  or  travelers  or  technicians  or  doctors  ?  What  classes 
of  women  ?  Mothers  or  teachers  or  secretaries  or  milliners  or 
society  women  ?  And  when  he  has  answered  these  questions,  he 
must  still  further  classify  and  differentiate  his  appeals.  Generaliza- 
tion, «ven  within  limited  classes,  is  dangerous.  The  closer  the 
sales  letter  can  be  focused  toward  exclusively  individual  appeals, 
the  more  Ukely  it  will  be  to  bring  in  returns.  The  mother  who 
lives  and  rears  her  children  in  a  New  York  apartment  is  a  very 
different  prospect  from  the  mother  who  lives  on  an  Illinois  farm 
or  in  a  Los  Angeles  suburb.  The  analytical  reason-why  appeal 
that  may  be  the  telling  and  the  selling  method  with  a  machinist 
or  other  technical  man  will  be  wasted  on  the  artist  or  the  man 
about  town.  Letters  that  sell  an  automobile  to  a  farmer,  a  hand- 
bag to  a  doctor,  and  a  suit  to  the  business  man,  respectively,  will 
not  sell  the  automobile  to  the  doctor,  the  hand-bag  to  the  business 
man,  or  the  suit  to  the  farmer.  Not  only  should  the  arguments  be 
different  in  the  respective  cases,  but  the  letter  tone  and  atmosphere 
should  be  different  also.  Trade  parlance  that  highly  qualifies  a 
letter  for  reaching  dealers  and  the  trade  in  general,  disquahfies 
that  letter  for  reaching  those  without  the  circle.  Some  one  has 
said  that  character  and  story  are  the  two  keenest  interests  of 
mankind — this,  because  all  men  and  women  are  characters  and  all 
lives  are  stories.  But  no  two  characters  or  life  stories  are  alike. 
The  salesman  who  is  to  a  degree  guided  by  this  dictum,  would  not 
delineate  the  same  character  to  all  prospects,  any  more  than  he 
would  bore  them  with  the  same  story. 

So  adjustments,  and  accurate  ones,  are  to  be  made,  both  to 
individual  prospects,  and  in  sales  letter  construction  and  tone. 
For  sales  letter  writers  not  to  focus  attention  and  effort  and  money 
upon  these  adjustments  is  to  indulge  the  greatest  possible  indiffer- 
ence, and  to  throw  their  appropriation  away.  The  sales  letter 
that  "  will  do  for  anybody  "  simply  "  does  for  nobody."  The  sales 
letter  that  is  "  individualized "  simply  by  the  insertion  of  an 
inside  address  is,  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  headed 
precipitately  for  the  wastebasket.     Much  has  been  said  and  written 

288 


SELLING   COMMODITY,    ETC. 


about  "  Putting  yourself  into  every  letter,"  and  "  Getting  a  hearty 
handshake  into  every  letter."  But  these  intimate  and  personal 
touches  are  conveyed  only  with  great  difficulty  in  that  letter  copy 
that  is  processed  by  the  thousands  to  be  sent  to  all  kinds  of  people, 
here,  there,  and  everjrwhere.  Be  yourself,  of  course,  if  you  are 
anybody  worth  being.  And  get  a  hearty  handshake  into  every 
letter  if  you've  a  hearty  handshake  that  wants  to  come  out  whole- 
somely and  spontaneously.  But  don't  pretend.  Don't  try  to 
make  people  believe  that  you  have  a  hearty  handshake  for  them 
every  time  the  press  drops  a  letter  on  the  plate,  any  more  than 
you  try  to  make  them  believe  in  your  letter  that  you  are  going 
to  present  them  with  twenty-carat  diamonds.  It  can't  always  be 
done.  They  know  it  can't  always  be  done.  In  sales  and  advertising 
literature,  it  is  imperative  not  only  that  you  tell  the  truth,  but  as 
well  to  imply  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the 
truth.  Be  the  truth  !  The  following  bit  of  verse  applies  just  as 
sharply  to  sales  letter  copy  as  to  advertising  copy  ! 


Asked  Jones  of  Smith,  with  a  greeting  glad, 

As  they  passed  the  time  of  day  : 
"  Say,  how  do  you  give  your  daily  ad 

Such  a  very  convincing  way  ?  " 
Said  Smith  to  Jones,  with  a  chesty  swell  : 

"  That's  easy  enough  forsooth — 
I  simply  insist  those  ads  shall  tell 

The  plain,  unvarnished  truth  !  " 

Asked  Jones  of  Smith,  in  a  curious  vein, 

As  they  met  on  the  avenue  : 
"  Say,  why  do  your  sales  show  a  constant  gain, 

Whenever  accounts  fall  due  ?  " 
Said  Smith  to  Jones,  as  he  raised  his  eyes 

With  the  glow  and  the  zest  of  youth  : 
"  Just  because  in  handling  our  merchandise 

We  tell  the  naked  truth  !  " 


Asked  Jones  of  Smith,  in  an  intimate  line, 

As  they  chatted  by  telephone  : 
"  Say,  what  shall  I  tell  that  lad  of  mine, 

As  he  starts  in  trade,  alone  ?  " 
Said  Smith  to  Jones  :    "  Give  hiipi  this  from  me, 

Sans  mercy  or  meekness  or  ruth  : 
'  Whatever,  wherever  your  business  may  be. 

Tell  the  undiluted  truth  !  '  " 


289 


19— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


This  is  not  to  say  that  form  and  circular  letters  are  not  to  be 
used  in  connection  with  sales.  On  the  contrary,  in  wide-range 
sales  operations,  they  are  a  sine  qua  non,  if  the  thousands  of  prospects 
are  to  be  reached  at  all  adequately.  But  let  it  not  be  assumed 
that  very  many  people  are  fooled  into  believing  such  letters  are 
personal.  Keyed  inks  are  sometimes  ridiculous,  but  they  are 
rarely  deceptive.  The  problem  in  all  such  sales  letters  is  rather  to 
intensify  the  composition  than  to  polish  the  mechanical  make-up. 
The  best  stories  in  the  world  now  stand  in  print.  The  letters  of 
Lady  Mary  Montagu  and  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  read  just  as 
engagingly  from  the  printed  page  as  from  the  original  letter 
sheet.  In  proportion,  therefore,  as  your  sales  letter  is  calculated 
for  widespread  circulation,  concentrate  and  intensify  its 
content.  Write  it,  not  at  all  as  if  it  were  for  any  degree  of 
permanence,  but  as  if  it  were  for  today  only,  and  as  if  it  were 
for  one  person  only.  If  you  do  this,  then  it  may  not  be  fatal 
if  the  inside  address  is  purple,  the  body  black,  and  the  signature 
blue. 

Give  the  message  life.  Vividness  is  the  biggest  word  in  sales 
letter  writing.  If  you  write  about  musical  instruments,  make 
them  heard.  If  you  write  about  rugs,  make  them  seen.  If  you 
write  about  perfumes,  let  the  prospect  smell  them.  If  you  write 
about  oriental  ambers,  make  the  prospect  feel  them.  If  you  write 
about  delicacies  for  the  table,  get  those  delicacies  tasted.  Specific 
choice  of  diction  will  do  all  these  things.  Vivify  the  human  senses. 
Vivify  the  human  emotions.  Vivify  history  and  environment  and 
commerce  dnd  industry.  There  are  many  ways  by  which  all  this 
may  be  done — by  acquiring  a  large  and  facile  vocabulary,  by  prac- 
ticing to  construct  live  and  moving  phrases,  by  arranging  your 
thoughts  in  torrential  sweeps  and  onslaughts,  now  by  plunging 
your  expression  forward  in  cataracts  and  rapids,  and  now  by 
checking  and  drawing  it  in  till  the  potentiality  and  electricity  with 
which  it  is  charged  hover  in  a  harbor  of  reserve  and  restraint. 
If  the  message  itself  of  your  sales  letter  be  vivid  and  bristling,  no 
uncouthness  of  form  can  prevent  its  making  an  impression.  Con- 
versely, if  the  message  be  dead  and  dryasdust,  no  exquisiteness  of 
form  can  vivify  it.  Look  to  the  form  of  circular  sales  letters,  of 
course  ;  but  do  not  waste  your  time  trying  to  invent  machinery 
that  will  turn  out  a  million  letters  a  minute  or  match  matchless 

290 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


inks,  when  you  might  be  spending  it  composing  a  message  that 
will  offset  the  disadvantages  of  both  quantity  production  and 
color  clash. 


A  boost  or  ginger-up  sales  letter  is  one  that  is  written  by  a  sales 
manager  to  his  sales  forces,  whether  they  be  at  different  places  on 
the  road,  or  in  his  own  community,  even  in  his  own  building. 
It  is  calculated  to  supplement  or  re-enforce  or  to  take  the  place 
of  the  direct  personal  contact  between  manager  and  salesman. 
It  may  take  the  form  of  a  news  circular.  It  may  be  an  inquiry  or 
a  direction.  It  may  be  an  announcement  of  awards  in  a  sales 
competition.  It  may  be  a  bit  of  confidential  gossip  as  to  the 
doings  of  rival  houses.  It  should  preferably  always  be  an  inspira- 
tional message  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  esprit  de  corps, 
intensifying  institutional  conscience,  and  accelerating  business 
enterprise. 

A  tie-up  sales  letter  is  one  that  is  written  deliberately  to  connect 
with  some  definite  sales  situation  or  to  correlate  with  a  compre- 
hensively organized  campaign.  It  may  precede  salesmen  by  a 
few  days  and  pave  the  way  for  them.  It  may  follow  salesmen  and 
clinch  their  efforts  with  prospects.  It  may  individualize  a  new 
series  of  advertising  copy  in  a  given  territory.  It  may  re-enforce 
window  or  other  display.  It  is  a  letter  that  connects  and  supple- 
ments other  sales  activities.  As  a  result,  it  may  be  made  either  a 
gentle  hint  or  a  forceful  reminder,  as  the  circumstances  surrounding 
it  demand.  The  tie-up  letter  should  therefore  be  short  and  direct. 
It  should  contain  little  if  any  continuous  exposition.  It  is  more 
than  a  notice  or  an  announcement.  It  is  somewhat  less,  perhaps, 
than  a  regulation  sales  letter. 

Sales  letters  that  are  written  by  manufacturers  or  wholesalers 
to  dealers  for  mutual  profits  are  called  dealer-help  or  cooperative 
letters.  These  may  be  trade  confidences  for  the  dealer's  own  per- 
sonal attention,  or  they  may  be  sent  to  him  in  such  form  that  he 
can  distribute  them  to  customers  and  prospects.  It  is  not  to  be 
forgotten  that  the  dealer  is,  as  a  rule,  subject  to  many  calls  from 
many  salesmen,  as  well  as  to  the  pressure  of  letters  and  other  aids 

291 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


from  more  than  one  wholesaler  or  manufacturer.  The  concentra- 
tion centering  in  the  dealer  sometimes  becomes  intensely  keen. 
This  gives  a  special  stimulus  to  the  writers  of  dealer-help  or  coopera- 
tive letters.  The  persuasion  contest  of  special  terms  and  other 
inducements  teems  high.  One  of  three  things  may  happen  in  the 
contest :  Your  dealer  may  not  be  reached  at  all :  your  letter,  your 
circulars,  your  various  trade  aids  may  leave  him  cold.  Or  your 
dealer  may  be  lukewarm  in  his  reactions  :  your  competing  whole- 
salers or  manufacturers  may  have  equaled  you  in  the  persuasiveness 
of  your  appeals,  and  the  dealer  stands  in  divided  loyalty.  In  the 
third  place,  your  cooperative  letter  may  impress  the  dealer  so 
forcibly  that  he  gives  your  commodity  chief  or  exclusive  attention 
in  his  own  sales  organization,  asks  for  still  greater  cooperation, 
and  eventually  becomes,  perhaps,  your  special  representative  or 
even  a  stockholder  in  your  business. 

In  the  competition  for  the  dealer's  trade  alliance,  constructors 
of  dealer-help  literature  more  frequently  perhaps  than  elsewhere 
make  the  mistakes  that  usually  attend  over-eagerness.  Sometimes 
these  take  the  form  of  unfavorable  comparisons.  Sometimes 
greater  inducements  than  are  profitably  possible  are  laid  out. 
Sometimes  the  dealer  is  told  how  he  ought  to  conduct  his  business. 
Most  frequently  of  all,  probably,  the  dealer  is  so  overwhelmed  with 
letters  and  other  direct  mail  matter  that  all  successful  cooperative 
negotiation  with  him  is  suffocated.  Needless  to  say,  those  who 
make  such  mistakes  as  these  have  the  consequences  forced  in  upon 
them  eventually  in  most  effective  ways.  And  such  errors  are  the 
more  culpable  because  the  cooperative  letter  offers  so  many  excellent 
opportunities.  First  among  them,  perhaps,  is  the  opportunity 
for  the  sales  letter  engineer  to  study  the  dealer's  problems  scientifi- 
cally and  thus  render  him  real  specific  cooperation.  He  can  be 
completely  won  as  soon  as  he  is  made  to  see  and  feel  that  his 
business  has  been  made  the  subject  of  intelligent  study  and  that 
the  dealer-helps  that  come  to  him  are  focused  toward  an  expansion 
of  his  trade  with  its  consequent  increase  in  income.  Then,  too, 
he  can  be  met  by  the  sales  letter  engineer  on  more  or  less  common 
ground.  They  have  to  a  very  large  degree  common  interests, 
common  knowledge,  and  common  ambitions.  They  need  lose  no 
time  getting  acquainted.  This  means  that  they  speak  the  same 
business  language,  are  guided  by  the  same  business  psychology, 


292 


SELLING   COMMODITY,    ETC. 


and  are  able  to  begin  their  relationship  far  beyond  the  point  where 
the  relationship  between  the  dealer  and  his  customers  began. 
An  advantage  such  as  this  initiates  good-will  at  the  very- 
outset  and  clears  the  deck  for  immediate  and  concentrated 
salesmanship. 


If  one  sales  letter  produces  sales,  it  follows  that  additional  sales 
letters  should  produce  more  sales.  Rarely  is  a  single  letter,  no  matter 
how  persuasively  phrased  it  may  be,  sufficient  to  develop  maximum 
sales  possibilities.  Usually,  therefore,  it  is  desirable  to  follow  up 
the  first  sales  letter  with  others.  A  series  of  sales  letters  the 
content  of  which  is  sequentially  and  cumulatively  developed, 
constitutes  what  is  known  as  a  follow-up  sales  campaign.  If  a 
single  sales  letter  procures  a  five  per  cent  response,  the  total 
follow-up  series,  judiciously  composed  and  focused,  may  double 
this  percentage  of  response.  The  term  follow-up  appHes  also  to 
a  series  of  letters  of  any  kind  written  consecutively  and  regularly 
in  an  effort  to  accomplish  a  certain  end,  that  is,  to  collect  a  bill, 
to  secure  a  desired  adjustment,  to  keep  application  for  a  position 
constantly  before  an  employer.  But  as  here  used,  the  term 
follow-up  refers  to  a  letter  series  written  and  despatched  for  the 
purpose  of  increasing  the  momentum  of  ^ales  appeal. 

All  the  letters  in  a  salSs  follow-up  campaign  should  be  planned 
and  written  at  one  time.  The  processes  of  the  campaign  must  be 
seen  as  a  whole,  telescopically  ;  the  parts  must  be  seen  as  individual 
units,  microscopically.  But  the  plan  should  be  fluid  and  flexible 
enough  to  permit  of  revision  and  special  adjustment  in  case  some 
sudden  change  in  conditions  takes  place.  Each  letter  should  be 
a  conscious  part  of  the  whole  series,  at  the  same  time  that  it  is  an 
adequate  sales  unit  of  correspondence  in  itself.  Each  letter  should, 
of  course,  accentuate  the  sale,  but  it  should  likewise  give  the  definite 
impression  that  there  is  much  more  to  be  said,  that  "  not  the 
half  has  yet  been  told." 

There  are  various  methods  of  mapping  out  a  sales  letter 
follow-up  campaign.      By  one  method,  the  first  letter  is  made  an 

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BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


attention-getter  only,  corresponding  somewhat  to  the  advertising 
tickler.  The  second  letter  develops  interest  by  means  of  a  salient 
and  relevant  story  (beware  of  stories  that  "  have  no  bearing !  "),  or 
by  means  of  an  intimate  application  to  the  prospect's  own  interest. 
The  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  letters  aim  respectively  at  desire, 
conviction,  and  action.  By  this  method,  therefore,  the  follow-up 
campaign  would  consist  of  five  letters. 

But  by  the  operation  of  another  method  all  five  of  these  appeals 
would  be  arrayed  in  each  letter,  the  complete  set  of  letters  being 
graded  upward  in  cumulative  momentum  of  impressiveness.  By 
this  method,  the  follow-up  campaign  could  be  made  to  consist  of 
from  two  or  three  letters  to  fifteen  or  more.  The  former  number 
would,  however,  be  regarded  as  too  few  for  the  average  campaign  ; 
the  latter,  as  too  many. 

By  still  other  methods  single  sales  points  may  be  taken  up 
separately  in  successive  letters  ;  or  a  different  sales  appeal,  such  as 
economy,  price,  pride,  utility,  may  be  developed  in  each  of  a  series 
of  letters  ;  or  a  different  type  of  composition  appeal — narration, 
exposition,  description,  dialog,  testimony,  predicament — may  be 
successively  presented.     And  so  forth. 

Any  sales  follow-up  plan  that  presupposes  a  series  of  six  or 
seven  letters,  must  be  developed  by  means  of  carefully  graded 
steps.  The  first  letter  should  be  made  a  fairly  comprehensive  one  ; 
the  last  in  the  series  should  be  strictly  pointed  and  businesslike. 
Between  the  two,  the  letter  copy  should  be  logical  and  engaging. 
Whether  or  not  there  should  be  any  reference  in  one  letter  in  a 
series  to  another,  is  open  to  debate.  The  probabilities  are  that  it 
is  a  somewhat  better  policy  to  make  no  such  direct  reference,  but 
that  the  prospect  should  be  made  to  feel  by  the  general  tone  of 
each  successive  letter  that  he  has  "  heard  about  this  before  "  and 
"  may  hear  again."  In  the  average  follow-up  campaign,  consisting 
of,  say,  six  or  seven  letters,  sent  at  intervals  of  a  week  or  a  fortnight, 
the  frequency  of  receipt  alone  should  be  sufficiently  impressive  to 
make  serial  reference  unnecessary.  But  the  sales  letter  engineer 
should  be  guided  in  such  matters  as  reference,  frequency,  letter 
length,  sales  arguments,  by  a  close  study  of  his  several  mailing 
lists.  Mechanical  men  do  not  object  to  the  machinery  of  reference 
and  cross-reference.  Society  *  women  naturally  do.  Professional 
men  and  women  have  more  time  to  read  letters  than  business  men 

294 


SELLING   COMMODITY,    ETC. 


have  ;  hence,  serial  letters  to  the  latter  should  be  somewhat  shorter 
than  those  to  the  former. 

In  addition  to  campaign  follow-up  letters  that  are  constructed 
and  mailed  for  special  period  or  condition  purposes,  there  are 
occasional  follow-ups  and  perpetual  follow-ups.  The  former  are 
letters  that  are  sent  at  more  or  less  regular  periods  to  a  mailing  list 
of  good  permanent  standing.  Old  residents  receive  from  the 
established  shops  in  their  community  occasional  notices  and 
announcements  of  sales  and  of  special  or  regular  openings.  The 
occasional  circularization  follows  a  leisurely  method  thru  a  period 
of  years.  It  may  not  be  discontinued  until  a  prospect  dies,  and  it 
has  been  known  to  persist  even  afterwards  ! 

Perpetual  follow-ups  are  used  chiefly  for  one  of  two  purposes  : 
either  to  exhaust  or  assort  the  names  on  a  mailing  list,  or  to  get  a 
reaction  by  means  of  sheer  persistence  and  stubbornness  of  appeal. 
Such  follow-ups  are  frequently  initiated  by  prospect  inquiry,  made 
independently  or  thru  a  coupon  clipped  from  an  advertisement. 
Mailing  lists  constructed  on  the  basis  of  such  inquiry  should  be 
kept  separate  from  those  accumulated  from  more  reliable 
sources. 

The  shopkeeper  who  prepares  a  five  or  six  unit  campaign  follow-up, 
should  take  pains  to  foresee  interruptions  along  the  line  of  the 
sales  letter  run.  Cards  or  letters  should  be  ready  to  meet  inter- 
rupting inquiries  or  comment,  or  to  cope  with  suddenly  changed 
conditions.  Any  demand  for  such  split  or  division  letters  in  the 
process  of  his  campaign  should  be  interpreted  with  good  cheer. 
But  it  should  be  met  immediately.  Campaign  plans,  whether  they 
involve  letters  or  cards  or  printed  matter,  or  all  three  together, 
should  be  kept  flexible  enough  to  allow  and  provide  for  unexpected 
interruptions  at  any  point  in  the  letter  run.  Supplementary 
letters,  whether  or  not  demanded  by  prospects  or  by  conditions, 
may  profitably  be  used  on  occasion  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the 
campaign  an  impromptu  or  spontaneous  tone.  The  fatal  feature 
of  many  a  campaign  has  been  its  smooth,  cut-and-dried,  sophis- 
ticated operation.  Its  literature  has  smacked  of  conspiracy  rather 
than  of  service. 

Test  your  sales  letter  campaigns,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  to 
find  out  what  not  to  do  again.  But  test  them  for  the  sake  of  keeping 
your  lists  live  and  active  ;    test  them  in  order  to  measure  and 


295 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


standardize  charts  of  analyses  and  methods ;  test  them  that  you 
may  be  able  to  assign  each  sales  letter  writer  in  your  establishment 
to  that  niche  in  your  service  where  he  can  do  the  most  efficient  work 
for  you.  Some  sales  letter  writers  should  be  assigned  to  headlines 
only.  Some  should  write  nothing  but  "  getaways."  Some  should 
give  all  their  time  to  the  construction  of  brief  stories  or  arguments 
or  pictures.  Do  not  test  letters  by  any  method  that  is  too  obvious. 
It  is  the  best  plan  to  keep  your  test  keys  a  secret  from  the  prospect. 
One  firm  gives  its  letters  names — the  names  of  stenographers  in 
the  office,  such  as,  Stella,  Alice,  Mary.  These  are  written  in  the 
extreme  lower  lefthand  corner  of  the  letter  sheet.  Figures  or 
letters,  or  both  in  combination,  are  sometimes  used  in  the  same 
position.  Vari-colored  stationery  constitutes  an  effective  and 
unsuspected  key  for  some  houses,  and  campaigns  themselves  are 
sometimes  differentiated  from  each  other  by  the  same  device  of 
color.  Picture  devices,  phrase  devices,  initial  devices,  questionnaire 
devices,  headline  devices,  typographical  devices  are  all  used  for 
purposes  of  following  up  and  checking  returns  on  sales  letters. 
There  is  no  one  best  method.  The  important  thing  is  to  have 
some  keying  and  testing  method.  Not  to  attempt  to  measure 
returns  on  sales  letters  and  profit  by  them  is  just  as  serious  a 
mistake  as  not  to  budgetize  finances  and  accounts. 

Salesmanship  by  letter  is  good  or  bad  just  in  proportion  as  letter 
salesmen  give  serious  thought  and  consideration  to  the  complex 
problems  that  confront  them.  As  they  think  about  the  com- 
plexities and  the  intricacies  of  trade  processes  and  the  uncertainties 
of  human  character,  so  will  they  express  themselves  from  the  one 
to  the  other.  If  salesmen  could  be  brought  even  partly  to  realize 
the  bigness  and  the  importance  and  the  interest  that  attach  to 
selling  and  sales  operations,  the  world  would  be  a  vastly  better 
business  place  to  negotiate  in.  He  may  know  his  commodity ; 
he  m^y  know  human  character ;  he  may  know  how  to  use  the 
English  language,  but  if,  in  addition,  the  salesman  has  never 
pondered  the  momentous  opportunities  of  the  art  and  science  of 
salesmanship,  then  there  is  hope  neither  for  him  nor  for  his  job. 
The  $150,000,000.  spent  annually  in  this  country  in  direct-mail 
salesmanship,  is  trivial  in  comparison  with  the  results  that  ought 
to  be  accomplished  by  him  and  his  co-workers.  Expert  salesman- 
ship with  this  expenditure  ought  to  be  able  to  redeem  the  world— 

296 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


and  could  and  would  do  so,  if  salesmen  everywhere  were  thinking 
the  most  out  of  their  opportunities. 

The  following  salesman's  creed  may  be  a  fitting  conclusion  for 
a  section  on  sales  letters — a  section  that,  owing  to  its  numerous 
company  in  a  comparatively  small  space,  does  not  and  can  not 
attempt  more  than  a  mere  outline  of  a  subject  of  such  voluminous 
scope  and  importance. 


A  SALESMAN'S   CREED 
I  believe  that  honest  salesmanship  is  the  greatest  mission  on   earth. 

I  believe  that  honest  salesmanship  has  done  more  to  civilize  and  advance 
mankind  than  has  any  other  single  influence. 

I  believe  that  the  salesman  is  at  once  a  pilot  and  a  professor,  a  pioneer 
and  a  priest,  a  plenipotentiary  and  a  prime  minister, 

I  believe  that  good  work  is  the  only  foundation  of  a  stimulating  faith, 
and  that  only  by  the  stimulus  of  faith  can  good  work  be  done. 

T  believe  that  the  only  worthwhile  joy  in  life  comes  from  the  daily, 
workaday  exercise  of  kindness,  courtesy,  cheerfulness,  friendship, 
generosity,  helpfulness  toward  our  fellows,  from  colleague  to  competitor, 
from  king  and  prince  to  coolie  and  pauper. 

I  believe  in  brains  more  than  in  bullion,  in  men  more  than  in  money, 
in  character  more  than  in  coin,  in  service  more  than  in  specie. 

I  believe  in  the  sacredness  of  promises,  in  the  sanctity  of  agreements, 
and  in  the  sublimity  of  obligations. 

I  believe  in  yesterday  a  little,  in  today  much,  and  in  tomorrow  still 
more,  and  more  than  ever. 

I  balieve  that  honest  goods  can  be  sold  by  honest  methods  to  anybody, 
anywhere,  at  any  time. 

I  believe  in  the  firm  I  serve,  in  the  goods  I  sell,  and  in  the  salesman 
I  call  me. 

I  believe  that  the  fault  is  entirely  my  own  every  time  I  fail  to  make 
a  sale,  win  a  prospect,  or  please  a  customer. 

And — I  believe,  so  help  me  brain  and  brawn  and  boost  and  business 
gumption,  that  I  am  ready  now  and  here  to  sell  goods  in  accordance 
with  this  philosophy. 

297 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  application  of  homely  and 
striking  arguments  to  the  subject  of 
trademark  protection. 


Re:    TRADEMARK 

The  law  today  is  such  that  if  a  man  steals  your 
watch,  he  is  subject  to  criminal  proceedings  and  a 
jail  sentence.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  steals  your 
idea  or  your  goodwill — he  lays  himself  open  merely 
to  civil  action. 

More  than  that,  if  he  takes  your  watch,  the  State 
will  take  care  of  his  prosecution.  But  if  he  infringes 
your  trademark  or  your  advertising,  the  burden  of 
prosecution  rests  upon  you. 

But  the  protection  of  intangible  wealth — ^your 
trademark  and  goodwill — ^is  a  more  difficult  propo- 
sition than  sitting  among  one's  household  goods 
with  a  sawed-ofE  shotgun  handy.  If  you  catch  a 
man  packing  up  your  silver  in  the  dining  room, 
you  have  the  privilege  of  sticking  your  revolver 
under  his  nose  and  turning  him  over  to  the  police 
or  even  shooting  him.  But  if  you  catch  the  same 
man  infringing  your  trademark,  and  incidentally 
robbing  you  of  more  than  all  the  silver  you  possess, 
you  can  neither  shoot  him  nor  even  threaten  to 
shoot  him,  unless  you  wish  to  suffer  the  full  penalty 
of  the  criminal  statutes.  You  can't  turn  him  over 
to  the  police,  or  even  peremptorily  relieve  him  of 
your  property,  tho,  metaphorically  speaking,  his 
arms  may  be  full  of  it. 

Your  only  recourse  is  an  application  to  the  courts. 
But  preventive  measures  can  be  taken,  namely,  the 
registration  of  your  trademark  by  a  specialist  whose 
knowledge  and  experience  is  such  as  to  permit  him 
to  cope  with  the  variety  of  statutes  bearing  upon  your 
interests  in  the  different  countries  of  the  world. 

If  you  have  not  already  made  provision  in  every 
country  in  which  you  do  business  for  the  defence  of 
your  intangible  wealth — your  trademark  and  good- 
will— can  you  afford  longer  in  this  day  and  age  to 
ignore  its  indispensability  ? 


298 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC, 


An  excellent  follow-up  on  the  com- 
paratively little- known  subject  of 
trademark  insurance. 


This  is  the  booklet 
you've  asked  for — 

I  have  marked  the  important  paragraphs  for  your 
special  attention.  It  will  take  you  less  than  ten 
minutes  to  read  them  and  it  will  pay  you  well  to 
act  immediately  on  the  message  that  they  carry. 

You  can  get  a  good  idea  of  the  costs  for  obtaining 
the  different  foreign  registrations  from  the  enclosed 
folder.  They  are  very  low  now,  owing  to  the  recent 
sensational  declines  in  foreign  exchange. 

In' the  United  States  the  cost  is  also  very  reasonable, 
being  only   $30. 

In  order  to  prepare  the  applications,  certain  informa- 
tion will  be  required.  You  can  supply  this  on  the 
enclosed  questionnaire  in  a  moment's  time. 

You  have  insured 

— ^your  life, 

— your  employees, 

— your  shipments, 

— ^your  place  of  business, 

so 
— Why  not  your  Good  Will  ? 

Send  me  the  questionnaire  and  a  list  of  the  countries 
where  you  need  protection — do  this  today,  while 
the  costs  are  so  low,  less  than  $5.  per  year  per 
country.     Then  your  Good  Will  will  be  insured. 


299 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Just  an  intimate,  woman-to-woman  talk. 


At  the  request  of  the  Pioneer  Mercantile  Company, 
we  are  sending  you  our  Hebe  recipe  booklet. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  do  this.  I  sincerely  trust  you  will 
make  it  a  point  to  order  Hebe  from  your  grocer,  and 
test  these  recipes  right  in  your  own  home. 

My  friends  ask  me  quite  frequently  how  I  succeed  in 
baking  such  light  biscuits  and  cakes.  They  wonder 
how  I  manage  to  prepare  such  delightful  creamed 
soups  and  vegetables.  I  will  tell  you^ust  as  I 
tell  my  friends — "  use  Hebe  and  you  will  discover 
the  way  to  better  baking  and  cooking." 

The  secret  of  the  goodness  of  Hebe  for  cooking  and 
baking,  is  in  the  perfect  balance  of  ingredients — 
pure  skimmed  milk  enriched  with  vegetable  fat. 

Last,  but  by  no  means  least,  remember  that  you 
save  money  when  you  use  Hebe.  First,  because  it  is 
economically  priced  ;  and  second,  because  there  is 
no  waste.  Hebe  stays  sweet  and  fresh  several  days 
after  it  is  opened. 

Do  try  Hebe — order  it  from  your  grocer  today.  If 
there  are  any  questions  you  wish  to  ask  concerning 
Hebe  or  its  use,  please  write  me  personally. 


300 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


Almost  an  embarrassing  wealth  of 
appeals,  hut  all  of  them  concrete 
and  personal. 


Good  Morning  ! 

At  the  request  of  Henry  May  &  Company,  Ltd., 
Honolulu,  we  are  enclosing  a  copy  of  our  Carnation 
Recipe  Book. 

You  will  find  it  contains  practical,  tested  recipes — a 
variety  of  one  hundred  delicious  dishes,  all  delightfully 
different. 

As  a  suggestion,  try  the  Ramekin  Recipe  (on  page  6) 
for  today's  luncheon.  Just  a  little  left-over  meat 
moistened  with  diluted  Carnation — an  egg  or  two- 
bake  for  a  few  minutes — and  you  have  a  luncheon 
dish  that  is  economical  and  surprisingly  delicious. 

Try  this  recipe,  and  others  found  in  the  Carnation 
Recipe  Book.  Learn,  in  your  own  home,  the  real 
convenience  and  economy  that  results  from  the  use 
of  Carnation. 

One  of  my  friends  wrote  recently  to  say  :  "I  tried 
the  Ramekin  Recipe  you  suggested — then  I  tried 
some  of  your  others.  I  don't  know  how  I  ever 
managed  to  cook  or  bake  without  Carnation  before — 
it  is  so  convenient." 

And  remember  to  insist  on  Carnation,  because  it  is 
pure,  rich  milk — "  from  contented  cows  " — that's 
why  it  is  so  wonderful  for  cooking,  for  baking,  for 
coffee,  tea,  and  cocoa. 

Before  you  forget — phone  for  a  half-dozen  cans  of — 
Carnation. 

Yours  for  economy, 


301 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Seven  paragraphs   built  in  toward 
testimony,    built   out   toward  you. 


If  you  looked  into  a  carpenter's  tool  chest  and  found 
a  Stanley  smoothing  plane,  a  Disston  match  plane,  a 
Keen-Kutter  rabbet  plane,  and  so  on — a  different 
make  for  each  of  ten  sizes  or  types — 

What  kind  of  carpenter  would  you  figure  him  to  be  ? 

The  good  workman  picks  out  the  brand  of  tools  that  is 
mechanically  right  and  buys  it  in  all  the  sizes  and 
styles  he  needs.  Once  his  fingers  learn  the  adjustment, 
every  tool  in  the  lot  is  equally  at  his  service. 
And  repair  parts  are  put  upon  the  simplest,  most 
economical  basis. 

Applying  the  same  sound  principles  to  motor  truck 
buying — following  the  example  of  Marshall  Field, 
Armour,  the  Barrett  Manufacturing  Company  and 
other  concerns  that  command  the  highest  engineering 
skill  in  their  equipment  purchasing — consider  the 
advantage  of  equipping  with  the  only  line  of  trucks 
that  offers  the  mechanically  perfect  worm-drive  in  a 
complete  range  of  seven  sizes. 

Packards  are  built  to  carry  one  ton,  one  and  one-half, 
two,  three,  four,  five,  and  six  and  one-half  tons.  No 
Packard  salesman  will  ever  try  to  sell  you  a  two-ton 
truck  when  you  require  a  one  and  a  half  tonner  or  a 
three  tonner  for  efficient  and  economical  deliveries. 
It's  just  as  easy  and  much  more  satisfying  to  supply 
you  with  the  size  that  exactly  suits  your  needs. 

Isn't  the  chance  to  have  your  hauling  situation 
analyzed  without  prejudice  worth  something  to  you  ? 

And  besides,  isn't  this  a  sound  rule  of  good  buying  . 

"  First   see    the    most    complete 
high-grade  line — then  compare." 


302 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


Another  excellent  Packard  letter  featuring 
authority,  experience,  and  service. 


Mr.  Drake,  Vice-President  of  Standard  Oil  of  Indiana — 

The  Chicago  Tribune — 

Lyon  and  PJealy — 

American  Express  Company — 

The  United  States  Army — 

And  Swift  and  Company,  Mandel  Brothers,  Tobey 
Furniture  Company,  John  Wanamaker,  International 
Harvester  Company,  Quaker  Oats — 

Are  among  the  conservative,  long-headed  men  and 
concerns  that  are  buying  Packard  trucks  on  their 
record — by  singles  and  scores  and  hundreds — in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  there  are  dozens  of  cheaper  trucks  to 
be  had  on  quicker  delivery. 

We  might  go  into  detail  as  to  the  experience  of  these 
men  with  their  Packards.  We  might  quote  their  own 
words  as  to  why  they  buy  Packards  again  and  again. 
We  might  dwell  on  their  known  conservatism — their 
bed-rock  analysis — and  test  methods — in  all  equip- 
ment buying.  We  might  display  actual  cost  figures  in 
many  cases. 

But  why  ? 

What  can  be  so  convincing  to  any  alert  business  man 
as  the  naked  evidence  of  the  millions  of  dollars  these 
men  and  organizations  have  invested  in  Packard 
trucks  ? 

Packard  men  know  a  lot  about  the  hauling  and 
handling  of  shortcuts  worked  out  by  successful  busi- 
nesses. They  are  ready  to  apply  what  they  have 
learned  to  the  delivery  problems  and  opportunities  of 
your  business — whenever  you  give  them  leave  on  the 
card  enclosed. 


303 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  letter  that  does  team  work  with 
advertising  copy  in  announcing  a 
policy  that  is  more  than  fair. 


Packard  will  refund  any  reduction  in  price. 


You  can  buy  a  Packard  Car  or  Truck  with  a  certainty 
that  should  the  price  be  reduced,  the  amount  of  the 
reduction  will  be  refunded  to  you.  Furthermore, 
this  Price  Insurance  PoUcy  will  apply  to  all  new 
Packard  vehicles  dehvered  since  January  1.  On 
the  other  hand,  should  it  be  necessary  to  advance 
the  price,  previous  purchasers  would  benefit,  in  that 
present  prices  would  apply. 


What  could  be  a  fairer  policy  ?  It  is  typical  of 
Packard  from  its  very  inception  to  deal  squarely  and 
in  a  straightforward  way — to  protect  its  customers' 
interests  by  permanent  business  methods  of  fairness 
and  justice. 


This  policy,  being  announced  in  detail  this  week  in  a 
number  of  the  leading  newspapers  and  magazines,  is 
an  added  evidence  that  the  public,  with  fullest  con- 
fidence, can  unhesitatingly  depend  on  the  Packard 
Company  to  meet  and  solve  transportation 
requirements. 


304 


SELLING   COMMODITY,  ETC. 


A  well-phrased  bit  of  advice  on  the 
wisdom  of  anticipation. 


Even  if  your  requirements  do  not  call  for  a  new 
"  Twin  Six  "  until  next  fall  or  winter,  there  are 
certain  definite  advantages  in  making  your  selection 
now. 

If  we  may  judge  from  the  present  demand  for 
Packard  cars,  there  is  only  likelihood  that  the  demand 
will  exceed  the  season's  supply. 

It  is  possible  now  to  make  certain  of  getting  the  kind 
of  body  that  is  best  suited  to  your  transportation 
needs.  And  not  only  can  you  get  the  type  of  car  you 
want,  but  you  have  a  wide  range  of  choice  in  the 
matter  of  paint  and  upholstery  which  gives  you  the 
opportunity  to  select  just  the  color  scheme  you  prefer 
both  inside  and  out.  Our  Packard  Price  Insurance 
protects  you  in  case  there  is  any  reduction  in  price. 

When  you  or  your  friends  make  an  investment  in 
Packard  transportation,  we  are  particularly  anxious 
that  you  shall  have  as  many  of  these  advantages  as 
possible.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  we  urge  your 
immediate  consideration  of  the  subject. 

Our  broad  experience  in  motor  transportation  is  at 
your  service. 


305 

20— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  sound  warning  based  upon 
an  apt  comparison. 


You  select  Pullman  cars  rather  than  ordinary  day 
coaches  for  railway  transportation.  You  make 
reservations  in  advance  because  the  supply  is  Umited, 
and  you  pay  an  added  price  because  it  insures  safety, 
comfort,  quietness,  speed,  and  prestige. 

Do  you  realize  that  the  same  advantages  apply  to  a 
Packard  Twin-Six  in  Motor  Car  Transportation  ? 

Because  these  facts  are  true  of  a  Packard  Twin-Six, 
only  those  intending  purchasers,  who  place  their 
orders  without  delay,  can  be  assured  of  dehvery 
before  autumn. 

The  only  sure  way  to  secure  your  individual  speci- 
fications as  to  style,  paint,  and  upholstery,  is  to 
order  now. 

May  we  make  your  reservation  ? 


Featuring  the  truck  from  the  service 
angle. 


Consider  your  truck  problem  in  the  light  of  trans- 
portation. After  all,  are  you  buying  a  truck  or 
a  transportation  service  ? 

Men  who  take  great  pride  in  their  organizations, 
men  who  consider  their  business  houses  as  institutions 
of  service,  buy  transportation. 

They  look  ahead.  When  they  buy  transportation 
they  are  guided  by  the  facts  shown  in  the  enclosed 
reprint,  "  Packard  Trucks  Valued  on  100,000  Mile 
Basis." 

Build  now  for  the  future.  When  you  want  trans- 
portation facts  and  figures,  call  us. 


306 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


A  little  contribution  from  Clio  to  sales  letter  content. 


The  world  holds  no  other  street  quite  like 
"  the  Street  of  the  Great  Clock  "  in  Rouen, 
France. 

Joan  of  Arc,  burning  at  the  stake,  gazed 
down  this  historic  street.  Its  great  bell, 
Rouvel,  then  almost  three  centuries  old, 
rang  the  curfew  on  that  fateful  night — and 
rings  it  to  this  day. 

Father  Time  has  touched  the  street  but 
Hghtly.  Much  of  its  glorious  architecture 
has  vanished.  But  the  massive  clock  with 
its  six-foot  dial  is  still  official  timepiece  of 
this  ancient  town. 

Jehan  de  Felanis  Uttle  dreamed,  when  he 
finished  it  in  1389,  that  here  was  the  fore- 
runner of  portable  timepieces  so  tiny,  so 
amazingly  accurate,  that  milHons  would 
be  wearing  them  today — in  the  form  of 
Elgin  Watches. 


Another  hit  of  Clio  copy  subtly  focused  for  colossal  sales. 


Not  until  cathedral  clocks  had  boomed  out 
the  hours  for  centuries,  did  it  occur  to  any- 
one to  bring  them  down  to  earth  in  miniature 
form  as  Table  Clocks. 
To  this  invention,  some  wit  has  ascribed 
the  origin  of  that  paternal  classic,  "  Tut, 
tut  !  Time  that  young  man  went  home  !  " 
Ornate  in  design,  elaborate  in  workmanship, 
they  were  found  only  in  the  homes  of  a 
wealthy  few.  The  hour  hand  was  some- 
times mounted  on  a  large  bell,  and  curved 
to  meet  the  dial  figures  on  the  rim.  The 
meaning  of  the  minute  was  still  undreamed 
of — why  think  of  minutes  when  clocks 
varied  an  hour  a  day  ? 
Yet  the  Table  Clock — plaything  of  the  rich, 
but  logical  forerunner  of  portable  clocks,  or 
"  watches  " — brought  the  old  world  a  long 
stride  forward  toward  the  timekeeping 
marvels  of  the  Twentieth  Century — Elgin 
Watches. 

307 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  cut-to-the-hone  piece  of  sales 
advice  in  regard  to  motor  triicks, 
set  in  unusual  hut  attractive  form. 


— a  truck  is  no  more  efficient  than  the 
service  that  goes  with  it. 

— this  is  something  you  must  bear  in  mind 
when  selecting  your  truck. 

— let  the  famous  Republican  shield  be  your 
protection, 

— it  isn't  merely  a  "  sign  "  pasted  on  a 
window ;  it  means  a  fully  equipped 
service  organization,  amply  stocked  with 
parts,  always  at  your  service  and  in 
your  service. 

— think  this  over  seriously  before  you  buy. 


This  has  the  smack  of  the  up-to-the- 
minute  advertisement. 


It's  zero  hour  when  you  hang  up  your  hat  and  face 
the  pile  of  correspondence. 

Two  hours  later — gone  is  that  early  morning  sparkle — 
gone  is  that  "  clear  the  desk  for  action"  feeling,  if  you 
have  struggled  with  the  mail  in  the  ordinary  way. 
Much  dictation  is  monotonous  repetition — wearing, 
tiring,  and  costly. 

\t's  good  business  strategy  to  have  a  dictaform  on 
your  desk — ready  at  your  right  hand.  It  will  step  in 
and  do  the  dreary  routine  and  leave  the  new  develop- 
ments to  you.  You  will  finish  fresh  and  the  work 
will  be  finished  sooner. 

The  Dictaform  is  made  in  eight  styles — a  size  for 
every  business.  It's  durable,  good-looking,  economi- 
cal. It  has  the  celluloid  reinforced  tabs  stronger  than 
ever  and  ready  for  rough  handling. 

Send  the  coupon  for  the  dictaform  details.  It 
will  explain  our  trial  offer  which  insures  absolute 
satisfaction  to  every  purchaser. 


308 


SELLING   COMMODITY,    ETC. 


Conveying  an  impression  of  dignity 
and  reliability. 


We  are  extending  an  invitation  to  representative 
merchants  and  manufacturers  thruout  the  United 
States  to  avail  themselves  of  the  numerous  facilities 
we  offer.  Our  reason  for  doing  this  is  to  cooperate 
with  them  in  increasing  their  present  business,  and 
assist  them  in  developing  new  business  at  home  as 
well  as  abroad. 


In  this  connection  we  have  considered  the  value  of  our 
service  with  reference  to  your  particular  business,  and 

we  believe  that  a  relationship  between 

and would  be  mutually  advantageous. 

Please  bear  in  mind  that  this  suggestion  is  not  made 
with  the  idea  of  disturbing  your  present  banking 

connections  in ,  but  rather  to  supplement 

them  for  the  purpose  stated  above. 

We  would  consider  it  a  privilege  to  serve  you,  and  we 
feel  that  our  facilities  are  such  that  you  would  find 
complete  satisfaction  in  any  connection  you  may 
wish  to  form  with  us.  If  you  find  the  present  an 
opportune  time  to  go  further  into  it,  our  representative 
will  be  glad  to  call  and  discuss  this  question  with  you 
at  greater  length. 


309 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Evincing  restraint  and  distinction 
of  tone. 


In  the  comprehensive  organization  that  we  have 
developed  for  the  purpose  of  furthering  American 
commercial  interests  abroad,  permit  us  to  call  your 
attention  particularly  to  our  facilities  for  handling 
foreign  collections. 


Our  direct  branches  number  —  in  all ;  and  we  have, 
in  addition,  close  working  arrangements  with  corre- 
spondents in  every  important  market  in  the  world. 
We  are  thus  able  to  offer  a  collection  service  that  is 
rapid,  economical,  and  effective,  and  American 
exporters  are  assured  that  in  the  event  of  non- 
payment of  drafts,  or  disputes  with  reference  to 
shipments,  their  interests  will  be  looked  after, 
wherever  possible,  by  American  bankers.  Unques- 
tionably these  are  important  factors  in  the  upbuilding 
of  an  export  trade. 


Under  separate  cover  we  are  forwarding  you  a 
specially  prepared  map,  showing  the  location  of  our 
branches  and  those  of  the  International  Banking 
Corporation,  as  well  as  the  location  of  the  offices  of 
our  representatives  abroad  and  in  the  United  States. 
Will  you  kindly  accept  the  map  with  our  compliments? 


We  shall  be  pleased  to  have  you  route  your  foreign 
collections  thru  us,  if  you  are  not  already  doing 
so,  and  we  are  confident  that  our  service  will  prove 
satisfactory  to  you  in  every  respect.  If  there  is  any 
particular  problem  with  reference  to  your  foreign 
collections  which  you  would  like  to  take  up  at  this 
time,  we  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  do  so  ;  and  it  will 
be  a  pleasure  for  us  to  furnish  our  collection  rates  or 
further  information  upon  receipt  of  your  request. 


310 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


Argument  and  exposition  brought 
to  hear  with  lucidity  and  reserve. 


On  former  occasions  it  was  our  pleasure  to  invite 
your  company  to  open  an  account  with  us,  and  we 
desire  to  assure  you  of  our  continued  interest  in  the 
establishment  of  this  relationship. 

We  find  that  we  are  already  serving  you  thru  our 
Foreign  Exchange  department  in  the  way  of  com- 
mercial letters  of  credit.  When  payments  are  made 
to  you  in  this  department,  they  are  usually  in  the 
form  of  our  cashier's  check.  Would  it  not  be  much 
more  convenient  for  you  to  allow  us  to  credit  these 
payments  to  your  account,  as  in  the  case  of  our 
customers,  advising  you  at  once,  thus  simplifying 
the  operation  on  both  sides  ?  You  would  then  be  in 
a  position  to  draw  your  own  New  York  exchange  in 
addition  to  taking  advantage  of  our  other  services. 

Our  Foreign  Department  is  in  a  position  to  cooperate 
with  you  in  investigating  market  conditions  abroad, 
and  the  opportunities  for  the  sale  of  your  goods. 
We  also  make  reports  on  the  credit  standing  of  the 
prospective  customers,  and  maintain  a  system  of 
credit  files,  containing  information  of  great  value  to 
our  depositors.  Upon  request,  we  shall  be  glad  to 
furnish  you  with  a  list  of  the  principal  importers  in 
the  countries  in  which  we  have  branches. 

All  of  our  many  faciUties  are  at  your  command,  and 
we  invite  your  company  to  open  an  account  with 
us,  and  allow  us  to  assist  you  in  the  development  of 
your  foreign  trade. 


311 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Another  "  try  "  that  is  neither  an 
intrusion  nor  a  presumption,  hut  a 
natural  and  gentlemanly  renewal  of 
service  offer. 


We  are  still  very  much  interested  in  the  subject 
of  a  relationship  with  your  firm  as  outlined  in  our 
previous  correspondence  in  this  connection.  We 
have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  cooperating  with  you 
as  yet,  but  hope  that  you  will  favor  us  with  your 
views  on  this  relationship. 


It  is  not  our  intention  to  interfere  in  any  way  with 
your  present  banking  arrangements,  nor  do  we  wish 
to  appear  unduly  persistent  in  the  solicitation  of 
your  account.  It  is,  however,  our  ambition  to  have 
on  our  books  the  names  of  the  representative  houses 
of  this  country,  and  to  place  at  their  disposal  the 
many  facilities  of  our  various  service  departments. 
We  are  familiar  with  conditions  prevailing  in  your 
business,  and  believe  that  we  can  make  this  relation- 
ship mutually  satisfactory  in  every  respect. 


312 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


An   advance   appeal   based   upon 
definite  and  attractive  information. 


One  of  the  large  manufacturing  concerns  of  Rochester, 
N.Y.,  in  business  twenty-eight  years  with  each  year 
showing  an  increase  over  the  previous  year,  will 
shortly  offer  an  issue  of  8%  Preferred  Stock,  with  an 
opportunity,  if  desired,  to  buy  some  of  its  8% 
Common  Stock  on  an  attractive  basis. 

This  Company  is  listed  in  Dun's  at  a  million  and  over, 
with  highest  credit.  It  is  a  very  prosperous  company 
with  an  indicated  expansion  equal  to  at  least  50%  of 
its  present  volume  of  business.  It  is  a  manufacturer 
of  food  products  that  are  known  and  used  the 
world  over. 

In  order  to  make  these  stocks  tax  exempt  under 
Massachusetts  laws,  the  Company  has  recently  been- 
re-incorporated  under  the  laws  of  this  state. 

Our  circular  containing  advance  information  will  be 
ready  within  a  few  days. 

If  you  think  you  might  be  at  all  interested  in  this 
offering,  please  sign  and  return  this  sheet  in  the 
enclosed  envelope,  and  full  information  will  be  mailed 
without  any  obligation  on  your  part. 


Without  obligation,  you  may  mail  the  circular  referred 
to  above. 

Name ;.... 

Address 


313 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  happy  little  parallel,  well  applied. 


A  man  hiring  a  driver  asked  each  appUcant  how 
near  he  could  drive  to  the  edge  of  a  blujS. 

One  said  a  foot ;  another  six  inches.  A  third  didn't 
know.     He  had  never  tried.    He  was  employed. 

There  are  many  devices  for  making  paper  cheaper, 
but  the  employees  of  the  Crane  Mills  do  not  know 
them.  They  have  never  had  occasion  to  learn. 
They  are  concerned  only  with  making  good  paper, 
making  it  as  good  as  paper  can  be  made,  and  making 
it  good  with  all  their  might. 

The  unusual  history  of  Crane's  papers,  both  Bond 
and  Bank  Note,  together  with  their  use  for  such 
important  purposes,  is  a  testimony  to  this  will  to 
make  the  best. 

100%  selected  new  rag  stock 
119  years'  experience 
Bank  notes  of  22  countries 
Paper  money  of  438,000,000  people 
Government  bonds  of  18  nations 


314 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


An  old  sales  story  interestingly  and 
convincingly  told. 


Have  you  thought  of  the  advantages  of  owning  your 
own  house  ?  I  am  much  interested  in  the  sale  of 
several  houses  in  a  strictly  residential  community,  less 
than  thirty-five  minutes  from  Manhattan  Island. 

For  example,  I  have  a  house  with  seven  large  rooms, 
tiled  bath,  steam  heat,  and  kitchen  with  all  modem 
gas  appUances  for  cooking,  heating  water,  etc.  The 
house  has  a  splendid  location,  and  commands  a  view 
of  a  dozen  miles  or  more.  The  sum  of  $3500.  cash, 
and  less  than  what  you  pay  in  rent,  will  buy  it. 

In  other  words,  what  you  pay  out  monthly  for  rent 
will  purchase  one  of  the  most  handsome  homes  in 
the  community.     Here  is  a  fuller  description  of  it  : 

Attractive  colonial  house,  with  two  large  piazzas  and 
an  entrance  porch.  A  large  center  hall,  with  telephone 
room ;  Hving  room,  wainscoted  and  paneled,  two 
built-in  reading  tables,  a  large  open  fire  place  ;  excep- 
tionally large  dining-room  with  open  fire  place,  plate 
rail,  and  entrance  by  French  doors  to  piazza  ;  butler's 
pantry  with  built-in  dish-washer ;  sanitary  gas 
kitchen  with  built-in  ironing-board ;  refrigerator 
room  ;  back  stairs  to  second  floor.  On  the  second 
floor,  four  large  bedrooms,  two  tiled  baths,  and  sleep- 
ing porch.  On  the  third  floor,  maid's  quarters  with 
bath  ;  and  billiard  room  with  beamed  ceiling  and 
open  fire  place. 

Think  of  owning  this  handsome  $22,000.  house  at  a 
monthly  cash  charge  of  less  than  the  rent  ,of  a 
moderately  priced  apartment  ! 

This  house,  with  several  others  I  have  to  offer,  affords 
an  unusual  opportunity  to  own  a  home  in  a  healthful 
residential  community  with  all  the  advantages  of  the 
country,  and  less  distant  from  Forty-second  Street 
than  the  upper  end  of  Van  Cortland  Park. 


315 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Unique  in  make-up  and  gripping 
in  composition. 


You  are  one  of  the  |  few  Printers'  Ink  (Weekly) 
subscribers  who  are  not  receiving  all  of 
Printer's  Ink. 


By  ALL  of  Printers'  Ink  I  mean  the  Weekly 
and  Monthly  editions.  Taking  them  as  a  unit, 
they  completely  cover  the  entire  field  of  adver- 
tising, merchandising,  etc.  The  relation  of  the 
Monthly  to  the  Weekly  is  the  same  as  that  of  a 
rotagravure  section  to  the  balance  of  the  Sunday 
edition  of  a  newspaper.  On  account  of  its  coated 
paper  and  large  page  size,  it  adequately  repro- 
duces subjects  that  the  small,  tho  convenient 
Weekly  page  size  wiU  not  permit. 


I  earnestly  hope  that  you  will  authorize  me  to 
send  you  Printers'  Ink  Monthly  for  1929.  |_ 
Your  okay  on  this  letter  is  all  that  is  necessary — 
bill  for  $2.  will  follow  when  due. 


Reduced  by 
379  since  we 
wrote  you  this 
letter  last 
month 


It's  an  easy 
way  of  saying  : 
"Certainly, 
Meeks,  I  want 

ALL    of 

Printers'  Ink" 


316 


'        SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


An  especially  readable  appeal  for 
renewal  of  subscription. 


Don't  you  want  St.  Nicholas  again  this  year  ? 

The  editor  has  told  me  of  some  very  wonderful  things 
that  are  to  appear  in  it  during  1929 — ^things  that  you 
personally  will  be  tremendously  interested  in,  and 
really  cannot  afford  to  miss. 

No,  I  won't  tell  you  what  they  are  !  You'll  have  to 
wait  for  your  copies  of  St.  Nicholas  to  find  that  out, 
and  as  you've  never  been  disappointed  in  your 
favorite  magazine,  you'll  be  even  more  pleased  and 
thrilled  with  it. 


But,  you  must  send  me  your  renewal  right  away,  in 
order  to  secure  your  January  number.  Your  Januaty 
and  February  copies  are  already  addressed  to  you, 
waiting  for  this  important  renewal  order,  so  hurry  it 
along,  in  order  that  I  may  drop  them  into  the  mail 
box. 

You  see,  as  I  explained  in  December,  a  great  number 
of  new  boys  and  girls  have  joined  our  happy  family  of 
St.  Nicholas,  subscribers,  and  altho  we  made  one 
hundred  thousand  copies,  there  are  only  a  few  left. 
So,  unless  you  want  to  be  left  out,  you'd  better  send 
your  renewal  by  return  mail. 

And  whoever  heard  of  a  wide-awake  boy  or  girl  being 
left  out  of  anything  good,  especially  anything  as  good 
as  St.  Nicholas  ? 


I  thank  you  for  your  polite  attention,  and  will  hope 
to  have  your  renewal  in  my  first  mail.  .   ; 


317 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  "  salesworthy  "  explanation  of 
innovations  in  service. 


To  The  Depositors  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Office 

At  our  new  banking  quarters,  at  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Forty-fourth  Street,  we  shall  be  better  able  than  ever 
before  to  render  you  complete  and  personal  service. 

One  of  the  new  features  of  our  service  to  depositors 
will  be  a  system  by  which  deposits  and  withdrawals 
can  be  made  at  the  same  window. 

By  this  method  it  will  not  be  necessary,  as  heretofore, 
to  go  from  one  window  to  another  when  you  wish  to 
make  both  deposits  and  withdrawals,  and  you  will  be 
enabled  to  transact  your  business  more  quickly  and 
conveniently. 

There  will  be  three  Tellers  Windows  marked  as 
follows : 

A  to  F  inclusive 
G  to  M  inclusive 
N  to  Z  inclusive 

In  the  Women's  Department  there  will  be  but  two 
such  units — ^A  to  M  and  N  to  Z. 

Customers  are  requested  to  use  those  windows  marked 
with  letters  that  include  the  first  letters  of  their 
last  names. 

A  special  window  has  been  provided  for  the  disburse- 
ment of  money  for  payrolls. 

Any  of  our  officers  will  be  glad  to  show  other  new 
features  of  our  service  which  are  at  your  disposal. 


318 


SELLING  COMMODITY,   ETC. 


Offering    service    double-plus,    in 
connection  with  commodity. 


It  is  our  business  to  give  you  System  in  your  Box 
Office,  thru  which  you  gain  protection.  This 
SYSTEM    is     estabUshed     thru     the     use     of     the 

AUTOMATICKET   REGISTER   AND   SELLER,    and   if  yOUr 

Ticket  SelUng  Register  is  not  always  working  just 
as  it  should,  it  is  our  desire  to  see  that  it  does. 

If  you  should  ever  have  any  trouble  with  your 
Register,  write  us  in  detail,  and  we  shall  be  glad 
to  advise  promptly  how  it  may  be  adjusted  in  the 
most  expedient  manner.  Address  all  your  corre- 
spondence to  the  New  York  office. 

Have  you  an  ample  supply  of  tickets  ?  Do  not  wait 
until  the  last  moment  to  order,  as  it  takes  from  two 
to  three  weeks  to  make  up  special  tickets.  Always 
use  tickets  made  exclusively  for  your  machine,  to 
insure  the  best  service  from  your  register.  We  use 
a  special  grade  paper  stock,  and  guarantee  tickets 
made  by  us  to  work  perfectly  in  your  Automatic 
Ticket  Selling  Machine. 

We  always  have  a  supply  of  stock  tickets  on  hand  to 
ship  you  in  an  emergency. 

By  the  Way  :  If  you  are  erecting,  or  taking  over, 
any  new  theaters,  be  sure  to  write  us  for  literature 
describing  our  new  electric   1930  model  register. 


319 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Testimony  that  tells  and  sells. 


We  have  sent  you  an  examination  copy  of  Opdycke's 
"  The  English  of  Commerce."  "  This  is  a  good 
book,"  you  have  probably  said,  "  but  I  should  like  to 
know  what  men  active  in  the  business  world  think  of 
it."     We  can  tell  you  this.    Read  the  following  : 

"  There  is  no  question  that  the  volume  will  prove  of 
great  value,  and,  it  is  hoped,  also  of  inspiration,  to  - 
many  a  young  man  and  young  woman  who  are  plan- 
ning to  enter  business.  It  would  also  prove  of  great 
value  to  those  who  have  spent  years  in  business  if 
they  could  be  induced  to  give  it  the  study  it  deserves." 
S.  H.  DiTCHETT,  Editor  of  the  Dry  Goods 
Economist. 

"  A  perusal  of  its  contents  has  surprised  and  delighted 
us.  The  suggestions  and  advice  given  cannot  help 
being  of  inestimable  value  to  any  one  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  book,  from  the  office  boy  to  the 
executive.  There  is  a  fund  of  information  for  each,  no 
matter  what  his  calling  or  line  of  work  may  be.  Our 
congratulations  are  heartily  extended  to  Mr.  Opdycke 
for  compiling  and  pubUshing  a  book  for  which  we 
confidently  believe  there  will  and  should  be  a 
tremendous  demand." 
W.  C.  Paul,  Assistant  Manager,  The  Dictaphone. 

"  Mr.  Opdycke  was  once  introduced  to  a  meeting  at 
which  he  was  to  speak  as  a  *  Six  Foot  Two  Dynamo.' 
His  book  is  the  natural  product  of  such  a  dynamo. 
It  is  most  illuminating  on  the  subjects  touched.  It 
supplies  new  warmth  and  interest  to  this  important 
matter.  It  creates  vigor  and  energy  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader.  In  other  words  it  is  a  light,  heat,  and  power 
plant  for  those  whose  daily  task  it  is  to  use  the  English 
of  Commerce." 

George  H.  Freeman,  Director,  Better  Letters 
Association. 

Don't  you  share  in  these  opinions  ?  We  shall  be  glad 
to  hear  from  you,  and  we  hope  that  you  can  use  the 
book  as  a  textbook  in  your  classes  next  year. 


320 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


An  unusual  opening,  and  an  altogether 
polite  and  dignified  appeal. 


February  28 — your  birthday 


Why  not  commemorate  it  with  a  Uttle  contribution 
for  the 


BIGGEST   BIRTHDAY   PARTY 
IN   THE   WORLD 


We  mean,  of  course,  the  party  that  is  to  be  given^by 
America  to  the  children  of  Serbia. 


Serbia  has  never  really  been  dramatized  in  America 
as  have  other  allied  countries  of  Europe.  She  has 
had  the  suffering,  but  not  the  publicity. 


There  are  500,000  children  there  who  need  immediate 
care  and  attention.  It  costs  $72.  a  year  to  provide 
properly  for  one  child.  We  hope  to  adopt  as  many 
Serbian  orphans  as  possible. 


May  we  count  upon  your  help  ?    And  will  you  interest 
some  of  your  friends  in  the  saving  of  Serbia  ? 


321 

21— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


Seriatim  clarity,  and  a  sure-enough 
invitation. 


Following  up  our  conversation  of  yesterday,  I  am 
enclosing  some  of  our  literature  which,  I  hope,  will 
further  acquaint  you  with  the  purpose  for  which  we 
are  organized. 

In  connection  with  the  work  of  the  school,  we  are 
prepared  to  furnish  you  with  three  general  types  of 
service  : 

(1)  Wholesome  recreation  of  the 
better  type  that  is  adapted  to 
the  school  and  to  the  community 
in  which  it  is  located. 


(2)  Semi-instructional  programs  for 
use  in  school  assembHes.  This 
feature  includes  a  current  news 
weekly,  pictures  of  interest  in 
general  science,  and  pictures  of 
classic  and  artistic  value. 


(3)  Specific  subjects  that  will  be 
made  up  to  correlate  with  the 
individual  curriculum  of  your 
school. 

We  shall  be  pleased  to  have  you  attend  one  of  our 
Wednesday  or  Friday  afternoon  showings,  of  which  I 
spoke  to  you.  I  am  enclosing  two  tickets  for  next 
Friday.  If  this  date  is  unsatisfactory  to  you,  return 
the  tickets,  and  others  will  be  sent  you  for  whatever 
time  you  suggest. 


If  we  can  be  of  any  assistance  to  you  in  selecting  a 
motion  picture  machine,  or  in  helping  to  acquaint  you 
with  the  various  styles  of  machine,  do  not  hesitate  to 
call  upon  us.  Tho  we  do  not  sell  machines,  we  are 
constantly  in  touch  with  sources  of  supply. 


322 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


Sixty-horse-power  speed  in  and  among 
and  about  and  between  the  lines. 


Here's  two  to  three  dollars  a  dozen  extra  profit. 
Do  you  want  it  ? 

Last  week  I  was  in  Chicago  buying  leather  to  cut  up 
into  "  Harvey  Gloves."  Prices  were  stiff,  but  I 
found  one  of  the  tanners  who  needed  business  pretty 
badly,  and  I  got  some  high-grade  horse-hide  at  a 
low-grade  price — bought  all  i  could  get  ! 

It's  being  made  into  gloves  now.  Samples  ready  next 
WEEK.  Ten  days  later  the  best  will  be  gone.  (Our 
salesmen  won't  have  these.  This  lot  goes  at  once  to 
mailorder  customers  only.) 

You  see,  nine  dollars  will  buy  gloves  worth  twelve 

DOLLARS ! 

Want  to  see  them  ?  You  really  can't  afford  to  miss 
this  chance. 

Just  mail  the  enclosed  card.  Do  it  this  minute, 
while  you  have  the  matter  in  mind,  and  I'll  send  you 
One  Dozen  Pairs  on  approval.  There'll  be  twelve 
different  kinds  in  this  batch,  and,  of  course,  they'll 
come  to  you  prepaid. 

Return,  at  our  expense,  any  or  all  of  them,  and  orde  r 
those  you  want. 

Act  now — these  won't  last. 

Yours  for  increased  profits. 


323 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Here  are  five  artistic  and  impelling  appeals  bv  the  Roy  crofters. 

1. 

A  second-to-none  opening,  certainly, 
as  far  as  you  are  concerned. 


About  all  the  great  people  of  America  are  subscribers 
to  our  magazine  Roycroft,  excepting  you. 

Is  this  an  oversight  on  your  part  ? 

You  know,  of  course,  that  this  magazine  is  the 
successor  to  The  Philistine  and  The  Fra,  which  Elbert 
Hubbard  pubUshed. 


It  is  a  source  of  great  pleasure  to  me  to  continue  so 
worthy  a  work  as  Elbert  Hubbard  started  and  carried 
on  up  to  the  time  of  his  tragic  death. 


We  are  perpetuating  very  successfully  the  several 
industries  he  developed  and  The  Roycroft  Shops  stand 
as  his  monument. 


Our  magazine  is  worthy  of  your  attention,  and  the 
special  offers  on  the  enclosed  circular  will  appeal 
strongly  to  you. 

May  I  suggest  Offer  No.  14  ? 

I  should  feel  it  a  great  honor  to  have  you  on  the 
Roycroft  list. 


324 


ii 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


2. 

An  interesting  offer  made  in  an  unusually 
interesting  way.  .  .  .  ''Jove  and  my  stars 
be  praised!    Here  is  yet  a  postcript/' 


I  have  a  book  for  you,  a  new  Roycroft  Book- 
out  of  the  Bindery. 


-Just 


It's  about  Abe  Lincohi  and  Nancy  Hanks,  his 
mother ;  ^vTitten  bj'-  my  father,  Elbert  Hubbard, 
and  done  into  print  by  Roycroft  boys  and  girls  who 
love  their  work.  A  more  complete  description  is  on 
the  folder  enclosed. 

Another  thing  :  Out  in  the  subscription  room  they 
told  me  your  subscription  to  Roycroft  has  expired. 
A  renewal  is  an  investment,  the  returns  on  which  can 
not  be  estimated  in  dollars.  Just  one  Uttle  para- 
graph or  article  in  some  issue  may  be  the  inspiration 
or  help  that  will  hold  you  to  your  ideals — when  things 
are  slipping  a  bit. 

There  always  are  just  such  articles  in  Roycroft,  and 
you  know  it.  The  issues  to  come  are  being  well 
planned.     They  promise  much. 

The  combination  offer  of  the  Lincoln  book  and  another 
year  of  Roycroft  is  made  for  you,  and  I  hope  you  vnH 
come  in  on  it  at  once.    The  two  for  just  $3. 

Pin  your  check  to  this  letter  and  return  it  in  the 
enclosed  envelope. 

With  all  kind  -wishes. 


P.S.     Or   perhaps  some  of  the  other  offers  might 
suit  you  better.    Look  'em  over. — E.  H.  H. 


325 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  personal  and  complimentary  follow-up, 
insinuated  by  big  facts. 


You  were  absent  from  RoU-Call  this  morning. 

Eight  hundred  and  forty-nine  of  the  twelve  hundred 
odd  renewal  subscriptions  to  Roycroft  that  were 
due  in  today,  answered  "  here," 

We  missed  you,  and  I  hasten  to  remind  you  of  it. 

Roycroft  has  been  going  to  you  for  the  past  year 
and  I  know  you  have  benefited  from  its  monthly  visits. 

Future  numbers  are  being  planned  with  great  care, 
in  an  endeavor  to  make  them  even  better  than  before. 
You  can't  afford  to  miss  them  and  we  can't  afford 
to  lose  you. 

The  small  price  of  a  year's  subscription  is  made 
smaller  in  the  combination  offers  on  the  enclosed 
circular. 

Especially  I  want  you  to  note  the  Abe  Lincoln  book 
and  the  Twenty  O'Clock  set.  These  are  brand  new 
Roycroft  books,  just  fresh  from  the  Bindery. 

But  whether  you  select  one  of  these  offers  or  not, 
don't  pass  up  your  renewal.  We  certainly  want 
you  to  stay  with  us. 

Will  you  answer  "  present  "  at  next  Roll-Call  ? 

With  all  kind  wishes  ever. 


326 


SELLING  COMMODITY,  ETC. 


Atmospheric  and  intimate  in  tone 
and  construction. 


I  miss  you  from  the  Roycroft  Round  Table  ! 


And  as  Chief  Chef  of  the  Roycroft  Magazine  I  am 
wishful  to  have  you  back  with  us  again. 


The  H.  C.  L.  has  not  impaired  the  menu  of  the  little 
magnetic  monthly.  It  is  better  than  ever — a  full- 
course  meal  of  nourishing  and  energizing  mental  food, 
seasoned  with  enough  literary  salt  to  savor  it,  a  dash 
of  tabasco  to  add  zest,  and  a  jigger  of  jamake  to  aid 
digestion. 

The  Roycroft  Magazine  for  November  contains 
among  other  vital  things  a  couple  of  editorials — 
"  Selling  America  to  Americans  "  and  "  Th6  Amalga- 
mated Union  of  Sky  Pilots  " — which  I  am  sure  you 
will  enjoy. 

See  the  enclosed  new  premium  offers.  You  can 
select  several  Christmas  gifts  from  the  list.  May  I 
suggest  our  new  book,  "  The  Liberators,"  as  the 
biggest  value  in  a  magazine  subscription  offer  we 
have  ever  put  out  ? 

Won't  you  join  us  again  ? 

R.  S.  V.  P. 


327 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


4^  5. 

A  seasonal  offer  chockful  of  suggestion 
for  your  Christmas  giving. 


May  we  help  you  with  your  Christmas  problems  ? 

There  is  no  more  appropriate  gift  than  a  beautiful 
book,  especially  a  Roycroft  book. 

On  the  reverse  side  of  this  letterhead  you  will  find 
a  number  of  extra  choice  volumes  illustrated  and 
described. 

Make  up  your  order  today  and  send  it  in.  We  shall 
be  glad  to  send  the  books  direct  to  your  friends, 
enclosing  your  card  and  greetings.  Just  tell  us  your 
wishes  and  they  shall  be  carefully  and  promptly 
complied  with. 

Perhaps  you  have  a  list  of  friends  you  wish  to 
remember  at  Christmas — but  with  an  inexpensive  gift  ! 

Why  not  send  the  Roycroft  Magazine  for  a  year 
starting  Vith  the  December  issue  ?  We  shall  send 
each  one  a  neat  Christmas  card  announcing  this 
gift  from  you. 

As  a  special  inducement  at  this  time  we  are  making 
our  subscribers  a  price  of  fifty  cents  a  subscription 
(without  premiiim)  but  suggest  you  send  us  not  less 
than  five — as  many  more  as  you  choose. 

Roycroft  will  bring  them  frank,  free  messages  every 
month,  and  they  can't  help  being  benefited.  Too, 
their  gratitude  for  your  gift  will  be  of  twelve  months' 
duration. 

The  order  blank  enclosed  will  simplify  it  all  for  you. 
Write  the  names  and  addresses  plainly  on  the  back. 

Let  us  be  your  Santa  Claus. 

With  all  kind  wishes  ever, 


328 


SELLING  COMMODITY,  ETC. 


The  'next  seventeen  letters  are  excellent  examples  of  concentrated 
class  appeals  in  sales  exposition  and  argument. 


Pratt  and  Lambert  send  four  telling  letters  to  paint  manufacturers. 

1. 

Indirect  hefore-qnd-after  testimony  that 
is  clarified  and  strengthened  by  detailed 
reason-why  copy. 


No  confidence  will  be  broken  by  telling  you  how 
another  enamel  maker  has  just  improved  his  product 
by  changing  the  mixing  varnish. 

Reports  reaching  this  maker  clearly  indicated  that 
his  enamel  was  cracking  and  chipping.  Its  use  out- 
doors seemed  particularly  precarious  and  there  wasn't 
the  desirable  amount  of  pigment  in  the  enamel. 

Acting  on  the  suggestion  of  our  laboratories,  he  made 
a  test  with  P  &  L  No.  175  White  Enamel  Mixing 
Varnish.  The  result  was  an  easier  working  piece  of 
goods,  with  a  noticeably  purer  whiteness  and  fuller 
body. 

The  pigment  content  was  raised,  yet  there  was  no 
tendency  toward  thickening  or  flatting.  The  covering 
and  hiding  properties  were  improved,  and  it  was  quite 
apparent  that  the  enamel  possessed  an  added  pro- 
pensity for  self  leveling — that  ultimate  goal  for 
all  good  enamels. 

BeUeving  that  you  would  find  it  profitable  to  make 
the  same  test,  we  offer  you  the  necessary  material 
without  obligation,  and  we  shall  be  pleased  to  learn 
that  the  offer  is  accepted. 


329 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


Direct  before-and-after  testimony  to 
the  effect  that  the  proof  of  the  pudding 
is  in  the  eating. 


According  to  a  letter  just  received  from  one  Western 
paint  maker,  his  flat  wall  paint  sales  have  increased 
62  per  cent  since  he  built  his  flat  wall  paint  on  a 
P  &  L  Improved  Flat  Wall  Liquid  base.  His 
explanation  is  as  follows  : 


Until  we  used  your  liquid,  our  flat  wall 
paint  was  eternally  settling  in  the  can. 
Now  the  pigment  remains  soft  and  fully  sus- 
pended, and  there  is  correct  amalgamation 
of  vehicle  and  pigment. 


**  We  feel  justified  in  talking  as  strongly  as 
we  please  about  the  capacity  and  work- 
ability of  our  goods,  because  we  find  your 
liquid  admits  the  incorporation  of  addi- 
tional pigment  without  thickening.  Our 
factory  foremen  say  that  the  liquid  is 
remarkably  easy- grinding." 

Our  thought  in  quoting  this  letter  is  that  if  you  know 
what  this  western  firm  says,  you  will  be  interested  in 
testing  a  sample  of  the  liquid  yourself.  If  that 
strikes  you  as  a  worth  while  idea,  won't  you  kindly 
say  so  ?  The  testing  sample  and  formula  suggestion 
will  follow  immediately." 


330 


SELLING  COMMODITY,  ETC. 


A  letter  that  impresses  upon  the  manu- 
facturer a  thorogoing  scientific  attitude 
toward  his  problems. 


Every  one  associated  with  paint  production  realizes 
that  the  progress  and  profit  of  the  paint  industry  are  in 
ratio  to  the  amount  of  effort  devoted  to  investigation 
and  experimentation. 

Every  paint  maker  plans  on  more  or  less  research 
activity,  and  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  letter  to  suggest 
that  you  select  P  &  L  Bucket  Japan  as  your  next 
subject  for  practical  investigation. 

Based  on  the  results  obtained  in  our  laboratories — 
which  have  been  amply  substantiated  both  experi- 
mentally and  practically  by  many  paint  manu- 
facturers— an  important  economy  is  to  be  effected 
by  the  use  of  P  &  L  Bucket  Japan. 

Not  only  is  the  desired  result  obtained  with  less 
DRYER,  but  as  this  dryer  is  made  on  a  linseed  oil 
BASE  with  powerful  drying  agents,  there  is  no  detrac- 
tion from  the  durability  of  the  paint.  Unlike  most 
dryers,  this  has  no  tendency  to  impart  a  pink  tinge 
to  Hght  colors,  or  even  white,  nor  has  it  any  other 
harmful  action  upon  the  lightest,  most  delicate 
effects. 

Put  to  the  test — your  test — P  &  L  Bucket  Japan 
will  check  up  exactly  as  we  claim.  Write  us  that  you 
are  ready  to  try  it  out,  and  we'll  forward  a  liberal 
testing  quantity. 


331 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


4. 

Technical  language  that  appeals  and 
convinces,  and  shows  that  the  writer 
"  knows  what  he's  talking  about." 


Perhaps  you  feel  that  you  have  "  fussed "  with 
hthophone  for  mill  whites,  until  you  have  no  desire 
for  further  experimentation. 

Yet  there  is  a  method  of  using  this  economical, 
practical,  and  sometimes  "  pesky "  pigment  to 
make  a  mill  white  that  gives  added  covering  capacity 
coupled  with  easier  working  properties. 

The  secret,  of  course,  lies  in  the  use  of  exactly  the 
right  vehicle,  and  there  is  a  surprising  number  of 
successful  paint  makers  who  have  definitely  decided 
that  the  right  vehicle  is  P  &  L  No.  4  Mill  White 
Liquid. 

The  pigment  is  held  in  suspension  permanently — 
vehicle  and  pigment  blend  properly — and  there  is 
no  tendency  to  "  pudden  "  or  precipitate.  Your  mill 
white  then  becomes  an  easier  working  product  with 
greater  covering  capacity — a  mill  white  that  will  not 
"  drag  "  on  the  brush. 

These  facts  are  capable  of  self -demonstration,  and  a 
liberal  testing  sample  with  full  instructions  will  be 
forwarded  as  soon  as  you  tell  us  that  it  will  be  used. 


332 


SELLING   COMMODITY,  ETC. 


Pratt  and  Lambert  send  three  telling  letters  to  architects. 

1. 


An  honest  confession  is  good  for  the 
soul,  and  the  advertising  and  sale  of 
uplifting  ideas  make  for  the  salvation 
of  the  world. 


Every  one  directly  or  indirectly  interested  in  the 
building  industry  is  reaping  present  and  permanent 
benefit  from  the  "  Save  the  Surface  "  campaign.  This 
movement  is  a  co-operative  endeavor  by  the  paint, 
varnish,  and  allied  industries  to  awaken  the  people 
to  the  full  meaning  of  "  Save  the  Surface  and  You 
Save  All." 

To  impress  this  economic  truth  upon  every  one, 
approximately  a  million  dollars  is  being  invested, 
during  a  five-year  period,  in  the  foremost  publica- 
tions. It  is  a  campaign  that  is  purely  educational, 
as  you  have  undoubtedly  noticed  by  the  recent 
pages  in  the  leading  magazines. 

Naturally  this  campaign  is  not  being  conducted 
entirely  without  self-interest,  as  it  will  undoubtedly 
increase  paint  and  varnish  sales.  But  its  real 
influence  goes  much  farther  than  simply  selling 
goods.  It  sells  the  idea  of  preserving  a  good 
building  by  protecting  its  surfaces  from  decay  and 
disintegration. 

When  that  thought  becomes  a  national  habit,  we 
may  be  sure  that  the  good  works  of  the  present  day 
will  be  preserved  for  future  generations  with  far 
more  enduring  fidelity  than  has  been  the  case  with 
the  good  works  of  one  or  two  generations  ago.  "  Save 
the  Surface  and  You  Save  All  "  is  a  truth  that  is  about 
to  be  accepted,  not  grudgingly  but  heartily,  by  every 
buyer  of  building  work. 


P.S.  If  our  Architectural  Service  Departments  can 
be  of  any  help  to  you  in  your  finishing  problems,  feel 
free  to  call  upon  them  at  any  time. 


333 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


2. 

An  excellent  little  argument  on  the 
subject  oj  misguided  and  picayune 
economy. 


Indirectly,  the  "  Save  the  Surface  "  campaign  will 
awaken  a  more  profound  appreciation  of  architectural 
effort.  When  a  building  is  well  preserved,  its  condi- 
tion is  invariably  traceable  to  the  insistence  of  the 
architect  that  there  should  be  no  skimping  or  stinting 
in  the  finishing.  * 

This  insistence  can  be  made  with  even  greater  force 
now  that  the  architect's  efforts  are  encouraged  and 
reinforced  by  the  "  Save  the  Surface  "  movement. 
The  public,  in  being  educated  to  "  Save  the  Surface 
and  You  Save  All,"  becomes  thankful  instead  of 
critical  when  the  architect  is  insistent  that  the 
finishing  of  a  building  must  be  protective  as  well  as 
decorative. 

There  is  no  way  to  save  the  surface  by  using  poor 
materials.  It  has  always  cost  as  much  to  apply 
cheap  varnishes  as  it  has  to  apply  good  materials. 
Yet  this  fact,  ever  self-evident,  becomes  increasingly 
pertinent,  with  painters'  time  now  costing  a  dollar 
or  more  an  hour. 

The  economy  of  "  doing  it  right  "  is  the  only  finishing 
economy  that  can  be  safely  practiced  today.  If  the 
finish  is  durable  and  lasting  it  is  truly  economical. 
But  it  is  wastefully  extravagant  if  the  finish  is  so 
fragile  that  an  expensive  renewal  is  soon  necessary — a 
contingency  that  can  be  guarded  against  by  holding 
rigidly  to  the  use  of  high  grade  materi^s. 


P.S.  Whenever  unusual  finishing  problems  come  up, 
our  Architectural  Service  Departments  are  ready  to 
assist  you. 


334 


SELLING   COMMODITY,  ETC. 


3. 

An  appeal  in  behalf  of  Kitchenetta  that 
would  please  her  if  she  knew.  There's 
also  a  wholesome  smack  of  cleanliness, 
convenience,  and  conservation  running 
thru  the  lines  of  this  letter. 


You  can't  build  a  home  these  days  without  running 
into  the  labor  problem  at  almost  every  turn  of  the 
work.  It  isn't  merely  a  matter  of  cost.  It  is  so  hard 
to  get  competent  workers  at  any  price,  that  labor 
economies  become  worth  while,  wherever  they  can  be 
legitimately  effected. 

Conservation  of  effort  should  be  provided  for,  not 
only  in  the  building  of  the  house,  but  in  its  daily  use 
as  well.  Every  minor  and  major  detail  that  will 
add  to  the  contentment  of  the  servants  will  be 
considered  justifiable  by  all  owners  who  have  been 
thru  the  distracting  servant  difficulties  of  recent 
years. 

A  well- conceived  kitchen,  therefore,  becomes  a 
deciding  factor  in  holding  domestic  help.  If  it 
includes  modern  labor-saving  devices  or  built-in  con- 
veniences, and  is  white  enameled,  a  servant  is  just 
so  much  less  likely  to  leave  in  a  fit  of  "  culinary 
temperament." 

Let  the  kitchen  have  that  porcelain-like  Vitralite 
finish  on  walls  and  woodwork,  and  it  has  an  inviting 
aspect  that  leads  to  daily  contentment  and  cheerful- 
ness. And  this  is  equally  true  with  the  maid's  room 
or  any  other  part  of  the  house  included  within  the 
servants'  domain. 

In  this  connection,  as  in  all  finishing  matters,  it  is 
helpful  to  have  the  suggestions  of  our  Architectural 
Service  Departments  and  we  hope  you  will  feel  free 
at  all  times  to  call  upon  them. 


P.S.  You  have  already  probably  noticed  that 
the  "  Save  the  Surface "  campaign  is  causing 
people  to  want  their  homes  finished  for  protection 
and  preservation  as  well  as  for  decoration  and 
appearance. 


335 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Pratt  and  Lambert  send  four  telling  letters 
to  furniture  makers. 

1. 

Note  the  topic  paragraph,  and  then 
the  cogent  and  coherent  follow-up  in 
succeeding  paragraphs. 


Durable — quick  to  dry — easy  to  rub — P  &  L  Cabinet 
Rubbing  &  Polishing  Varnish  is  a  particularly 
welcome  discovery  for  the  furniture  maker  who  is 
making  a  line  of  phonograph  cabinets. 


This  material  permits  rapid  production  without 
"  hold-ups  "  in  the  finishing  department.  This  alone 
makes  it  a  winner  for  all  furniture  producers. 


You  will  find  in  P  &  L  Cabinet  Rubbing  &  Polish- 
ing Varnish  unusually  quick-drying  properties.  That 
means  a  considerable  reduction  in  finishing  time,  and 
prompter  shipments.  It  brushes  out  freely  or  can  be 
sprayed  on  equally  well. 


Watch  this  varnish  yourself  and  you  will  observe  the 
little  effort  and  time  required  for  rubbing  or  polishing. 
That's  due  to  its  hard  gum  base.  It's  an  exceedingly 
full-bodied  varnish  and  it  will  not  sweat  out  after 
rubbing. 


Believing  you  will  want  to  test  P  &  L  Cabinet 
Rubbing  &  Polishing  Varnish  without  delay,  we 
have  the  testing  quantity  ready  to  send  you  without 
charge.  Kindly  let  us  know  by  return  mail  whether 
you  are  prepared  to  test  it  now. 


SELLING   COMMODITY,  ETC. 


Three  big  points  played  up  both 
graphically  and  logically. 


It  requires  a  discerning  eye  to  note  the  difference 
between  the  finish  P  &  L  Improved  Flat  Varnish 
produces  and  the  effect  obtained  by  hand-rubbing. 
Both  consumer  and  dealer  find  it  quite  as  pleasing  as 
the  hand-rubbed  result. 


Free  from  pigment  or  wax,  this  varnish  possesses 
extreme  durability — one  manufacturer  even  used  it 
for  a  floor  job  with  good  results.  Unlike  many  flat 
finishes  it  does  not  discolor  mahogany.  And  the 
following  advantages  are  also  prominent : 


— Sprayable,  when  reduced  with  turpentine. 

— Dries  over  night  to   semi-gloss,   or  dull  finish 
when  reduced. 

— Especially    suited    for    hard-usage    furniture — 
chairs,  desks,  tables,  etc. 


With  these  results  in  mind,  we  feel  sure  you  would  be 
willing  to  make  a  practical  test  of  this  varnish.  A 
testing  quantity  will  be  promptly  forwarded,  if  you 
say  so. 


337 

22— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


3. 

A  bit  of  very  convincing  personification. 

r 

I 


There  is  a  good  friend  among  furniture  varnishes  that 
you  should  meet.  His  name  is  Noxide.  He  can 
present  the  following  credentials,  based  on  his  good 
service  with  a  diversified  number  of  furniture 
producers  : 


-You  can  rely  upon  him  for  waterproof  qualities. 
He  is  particularly  suitable  for  products  that  are 
used  outdoors,  like  porch  chairs  ;  or  used  indoors 
where  waterproofness  is  an  asset,  like  kitchen 
cabinets. 

-He  is  a  durable,  gloss  varnish.  Put  him  on,  give 
him  a  night's  rest,  and  he  is  dry  and  ready  for 
shipment  the  next  day. 

-You  can  put  him  on  by  hand  or  by  spray.  He 
makes  an  elastic,  tough  coating  on  wood  or 
metal. 

-And,  best  of  all,  he's  a  mighty  reasonable  helper 
when  it  comes  to  the  pay  envelope — rather  a 
"  find  "  in  these  high-cost  days. 


Don't  you  want  to  meet  Noxide  and  try  him  out  on 
3^our  work  ?  Marking  "  Yes  "  on  this  letter  and 
returning  it,  brings  Noxide  to  you  in  testing  quanti- 
ties, but  you  needn't  keep  him  on  the  job  unless  he 
makes  good  according  to  your  own  standards. 


338 


SELLING   COMMODITY,  ETC. 


4. 

Focusing  upon  krystolac  by  way  of 
the  predicament  suggestion  in  the 
first  paragraph. 


Perhaps  you  have  the  same  trouble  that  has  recently 
confronted  many  other  furniture  makers  in  meeting 
the  present  vogue  for  the  so-called  Italian  Finish. 


This  finish  has  a  tendency  to  turn  grey  or  blue  unless 
fortified  against  moisture  which  is  always  present  in 
the  air.  In  other  words,  it  must  receive  a  waterproof 
coating — a  service  economically  but  effectively 
rendered  by  P  &  L  No,  25  Krystolac. 


To  use  a  pure  gum  shellac  varnish  for  this  purpose 
would  incur  unnecessary  expense.  P  &  L  No.  25 
Krystolac  will  serve  the  same  purpose  and  offer  the 
same  impenetrability  to  air-moisture.  It  will  keep 
your  Italian  Finish  free  from  greyness  or  blueness. 


Used  over  acid  stains,  No.  25  Krystolac  prevents 
their  bleeding  thru  to  the  finishing  coats  of  varnish. 
No.  25  Krystolac  is  not  to  be  confused  with  the  usual 
shellac  substitute  because  it  can  be  reduced  50  per 
cent  with  No.  25  Krystolac  Reducer  without  the 
least  tendency  towards  separation. 


No.  25  Krystolac  will  talk  for  itself.  Give  it  an 
interview.  Let  us  send  you  a  testing  sample  for 
self -demonstration — write  us  you  will  use  it. 


339 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Pratt  and  Lambert   send  three  telling  letters   to   bedstead 
manufacturers. 


1. 

A  n  excellent  bit  of  letter  copy  built  upon 
the  challenge  of  "  Let's  pretend,"  and 
adapted  nicely  to  reader  interest. 


Were  one  of  your  finishers  to  step  in  and  suggest  a 
method  that  would  produce  a  finish  that  would  not 
crack  at  the  seams  whenever  a  frame  is  roughly 
handled,  you'd  tell  him  to  go  ahead  and  try  it. 

This  letter  solicits  the  same  privilege.  The  P  &  L 
Bedstead  Enamel  System  will  demonstrate  the 
following  advantages  : 


— ^No  beads  or  runs  to  "  touch  up." 
— No  yellowing  after  long  storage. 
— No  cracks  at  the  seams  even  when  frames  are 
dropped  or  roughly  handled. 


This  is  a  two -coat  system.  The  first  coat  is  P  &  L 
.Bedstead  Primer  which  flows  on  freely  whether 
sprayed  or  dipped,  yet  forms  a  solid  surface  covering 
that  adheres  to  the  metal  and  bakes  out  an  even, 
pure  white  in  two  hours  at  170°  to  180°  F. 

The  finishing  coat  is  P&  L  Bedstead  Baking  Enamel, 
sprayed  or  dipped,  which  proves  its  high  merit  by 
the  way  it  flows  out,  and  gives  you  a  finish  of  extreme 
luster  and  crystal  whiteness  after  baking  only  two 
and  a  half  hours  at  160°  F. — a  finish  that  is  tenacious 
and  elastic  as  well  as  beautiful. 


Let  this  test  be  made  at  once — just  write  us  your 
consent  and  we'll  send  the  materials. 


340 


SELLING   COMMODITY,  ETC. 


Assuming  a  predicament,  and  then 
showing  lucidly  how  easily  it  might 
have  been  avoided,  never  to  happen 
again. 


It  may  be  that  you  are  having  the  same  finishing 
troubles  some  other  bedstead  makers  have  experienced. 

Possibly  you  have  runs  or  beads  that  are  always 
requiring  "  touching  up."  And  if  a  thoughtless 
workman  jolts,  jars,  or  drops  a  bed,  the  finish  cracks  at 
the  seams.  Perhaps,  too,  the  color  changes  if  the  beds 
are  stored  for  any  length  of  time. 

If  some  or  all  of  these  common  finishing  faults  are 
yours,  we  can  help  you.  The  P  &  L  Bedstead 
Enamel  System  will  end  your  finishing  difficulties. 
It  is  a  two-coat  proposition,  as  follows  1 

P  &  L  Bedstead  Primer,  sprayed  or  dipped  on, 
covers  surface  solidly,  knits  tenaciously  to  metal, 
bak^s  out  beautifully  white  in  two  hours  at  170° 
to  180° F. 

P.  &  L  Bedstead  Baking  Enamel,  sprayed  or 
dipped,  flows  out  elegantly,  bakes  pure  white  in 
two  and  a  half  hours  at  160°  F.  Tough,  elastic, 
high  lustred,  this  finish  adds  merit  and  market 
value  to  your  goods. 

There's  a  satisfying  experience  awaiting  you  as  soon 
as  you  write  for  it. 


341 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


3. 

The  sales  points  cogently  stated,  and  the 
exposition  unmistakably  phrased. 


When  it  comes  to  closing  a  sale,  it's  a  big  help  to  be 
able  to  emphasize  the  beauty  and  durability  of  your 
finish.  The  P  &  L  Bedstead  Enamel  System  will 
improve  your  finish  in  three  important  details  : 

(1)  No  beads  or  runs  to  need  costly  "  touching 
up  "  by  hand. 

(2)  No  yellowing  after  beds  are  stored  for  several 
months. 

(3)  No  cracked  finish  at  seams  because  a  frame  is 
dropped,  jarred,  or  roughly  handled. 

It's  a  two-coat  system  and  both  coats  may  be  dipped 
or  sprayed  bn.  P  &  L  Bedstead  Primer  flows  on 
with  exceptional  freedom  but  makes  a  solid  covering 
that  knits  shock-tight  to  the  metal  after  baking  two 
hours  at  170°  to  180°  F.,  and  comes  out  a  gleaming, 
consistent  white. 

P  &  L  Bedstead  Baking  Enamel,  the  final  coat,  is  a 
high  luster  enamel  with  marked  toughness  and 
elasticity.  After  baking  two  and  a  half  hours  at  160°  F. 
it  comes  out  with  a  lasting  pearl-pure  whiteness  which 
can  be  strongly  capitalized  by  your  Sales  Department. 

You  may  be  skeptical  now,  but  you'll  be  enthusiastic 
and  thankful  after  you  make  the  test,  and  the 
material  will  be  forwarded  as  soon  as  you  tell  us 
you'll  use  it. 


342 


SELLING  COMMODITY,  ETC. 


Pratt  and  Lambert  send  three  telling  letters  to  railway  companies. 

1. 
Focusing  upon  one  big  fact,  and  energizing  it. 


With  labor  scarce  and  costly,  no  railroad  management 
can  afford  to  finish  its  coaches  by  an  eight  to  ten 
coat  system  when  there  is  a  four-coat  method  that 
gives  an  even  better  result. 

That's  only  one  of  a  half-dozen  "  efficiency  "  reasons 
for  the  use  of  the  Vitralite  Railway  Enamel  System — 
but  it  is  the  big  fact  for  you  to  consider  these  days. 

It's  an  economy — a  big  economy.  How  big  ?  Figure 
it  out  yourself  ;  we  have  a  special  book  to  help 
you  do  it,  a  book  that  tells  just  what  Vitralite 
Railway  Enamel  accomplishes. 

Write  us  that  you'll  read  it,  and  we'll  send  a  copy 
at  once. 


2. 
It's  an  old  story,  but  a  good  one,  especially 
when  considered  in  connection  with  paints. 


Probably  half  the  letters  you  receive  these  days 
harp  away  on  the  fact  that  since  the  roads  are  back 
in  their  owners'  hands,  more  rigid  economy  is  essential. 

Yet,  at  the  risk  of  being  trite,  we  are  going  to  do  the 
same  thing.  Because,  once  you  investigate  the 
Vitralite  Railway  Enamel  System,  you  will  find  that 
it  presents  an  economy  in  labor  and  material  that  is 
real,  tangible,  and  worth  while.  It's  an  economy 
that  you  can  actually  see  in  reduced  finishing  cost, 
and  that  also  effects  a  better  and  longer-lasting  finish. 

The  figuring  is  easy.  Do  it  now.  Compare  the  cost 
of  an  eight  or  ten  coat  job  with  a  four-coat  system. 
See  how  much  would  be  saved  on  a  year's  basis,  and 
make  a  memorandum  of  the  figure. 

With  that  figure  in  mind,  wouldn't  it  be  worth  while 
to  know  more  about  this  system — to  read  the 
Vitralite  Railway  Enamel  book  ?  Say  so,  and  the 
book  will  follow  immediately. 


343 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


3. 

Featuring  economy  again,  but  this 
time  in  tabulated  form  and  therefore 
doubly  concentrated. 


There  is  one  fundamental  fact  about  the  Vitrahte 
Railway  Enamel  System  which  directs  executive 
attention  to  it — ^it  is  a  four-coat  proposition  for 
exterior  work  instead  of  an  eight  or  ten. 


The  economy  of  the  Vitralite  Railway  Enamel 
System  is  not  visionary  but  real.  It  is  self-evident 
in  the  fewer  coats  required,  and  the  saving  in  their 
application.  And  it  is  a  lasting  economy — one 
that  is  realized  anew  at  refinishing  time.  In  addition 
to  cutting  costs,  this  system  effects  these  other 
advantages  : 


Lasts  twice  as  long. 

Decreases  shopping  time  thirty  per  cent. 

Holds  original  color. 

Refinishes  in  one  coat. 

And — ^has  our  three  year  guarantee  on  exterior 

work. 


However,  don't  be  satisfied  with  this  brief  summary. 
Get  the  facts  complete.  Tell  us  you'll  read  that 
special  Vitralite  book  we  have  waiting  for  just  such 
a  request. 


344 


SELLING  COMMODITY,  ETC. 


Courteously  assuming  all  the  blame, 
and  building  dealer  good-will  by 
means  of  special  inducement. 


You  have  placed  no  business  with  us  so  far  this  year. 
Ten  weeks  of  the  most  prosperous  year  in  history  have 
passed  ;  surely  you  could  have  made  a  few  extra 
dollars  if  your  IngersoU  assortment  had  been  complete. 

We  suppose  it  is  our  fault  for  not  bringing  this  to 
your  attention  convincingly  enough  before. 

However,  here's  an  inducement  to  make  up  for 
lost  time. 

There  are  two  new  IngersoU  features  that  are  being 
widely  exploited  in  the  largest  advertising  campaign 
we  have  ever  conducted.     These  are  : 

(1)  Radiolite  (day  and  night  watches).     ^ 

(2)  The  IngersoU  jeweled  models. 

Of  course,  the  other  IngersoUs  keep  on  selling  the  same 
as  ever.  Now  that  these  goods  are  being  so" strongly 
featured  in  our  introductory  campaign  it  is  only 
necessary  for  you  to  let  them  be  seen  in  your  window 
in  order  to  participate  in  the  results. 

Already  nearly  half  our  watches  are  being  sold  with 
RadioHte  dials — about  7000  every  day.  This  shows 
the  sales  possibilities  of  Radiolites.  Just  to  get  a 
quick  start  we  are  making  this  special  proposition  : 

The  "  TiA  "  board  shown  in  the  window  (see  illustra- 
tion) is  the  central  feature  of  our  entire  advertising 
and  selHng  campaign.  You  can  have  it  free  with  the 
18  IngersoUs  Usted  on  the  card.  The  assortment 
costs  $34.35  and  sells  for  $50.75.  •  Profits  are  good 
and  sales  are  quick. 

We  reaUze  that  you  have  an  outlet  of  value  to  us  for 
these  goods  ;  so  we  are  furnishing  without  cost  the 
selUng  outfit,  which  will  insure  repeat  orders  at  an 
early  date. 


345 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


What  sane  dealer  could  resist  such  sales 
cooperation  ? 


Here's  a  proposition  for  you — a  proposition  that  will 
add  to  the  profit  side  of  your  ledger. 

Selling  Ingersolls  is  not  a  jewelry  proposition  in  the 
ordinary  sense  of  the  word.  Give  them  a  chance, 
and  they  will  go  a  long  way  toward  selling  themselves. 

If  you  had  an  Ingersoll  show  case  up  in  the  front  part 
of  your  store,  we  know  that  you  could  build  a  good 
trade  in  Ingersolls.  To  help  you  get  started,  we  will 
supply  you  with  one  of  the  handsome  display  cases 
shown  on  the  circular  enclosed — free. 

With  it  we  also  send  a  selling  outfit  of  display 
material,  samples  of  which  are  shown  on  the  last  page 
of  the  circular  enclosed. 

Hundreds  of  dealers,  situated  just  like  you,  sell  from 
six  to  twelve  dozen  Ingersolls  a  year  and  make  a  good 
extra  profit.  You  can  do  it  too.  Put  this  display 
case  on  your  counter,  up  in  the  front  of  your  store, 
where  all  the  customers  can  see  it,  and  you  will  find  it 
a  corking  good  little  silent  salesman. 

Altho  Ingersolls  have  been  extensively  advertised 
for  twenty-five  years,  and  are  already  known  by 
every  one,  our  advertising  campaign  this  year  is  the 
largest  we  have  ever  attempted.  Besides  using 
national  magazines,  we  are  also  using  the  best  farm 
papers  and  other  magazines  that  have  a  large  circula- 
tion in  small  towns  and  among  farmers.  We  are 
creating  a  demand  for  Ingersolls,  right  in  your  own 
community,  among  your  customers.  Why  not  reap 
the  benefit  of  that  demand  ? 

This  special  offer  is  good  for  only  twenty  days.  Put 
your  name  and  address  on  the  post  card  enclosed — 
right  away. 

Why  not  send  it  now  ?     Then  you  won't  forget  it. 


346 


SELLING  COMMODITY,  ETC. 


A  dealer-claim  invitation  that  rings 
sincere  and  businesslike. 


The  other  day  I  was  looking  over  our  customers' 
records,  and  was  figuring  how  we  stood  in  the  matter 
of  sales  in  your  territory. 

When  I  came  across  your  account,  I  found  that, 
altho  you  used  to  be  a  regular  customer  of  ours, 
you  have  not  bought  a  watch  from  us  for  over 
two  years. 

You  must  have  had  some  personal  reason  for  dis- 
continuing the  line  without  telling  us  about  it.  And 
you  will  do  me  a  big  favor  if  you  will  write  me, 
letting  me  know  what  was  wrong.  If  there  is  anything 
wrong,  I  will  make  it  right. 

Suppose  one  of  your  good  customers  stopped  dealing 
with  you — you  should  like  to  learn  why,  shouldn't 
you  ?  Suppose  he  had  quit  because  of  some  trouble 
with  your  service  or  goods,  without  giving  you  a 
chance  to  make  good — ^you'd  feel  that  he  was  not 
giving  you  a  square  deal. 

If  there  was  anything  wrong  with  our  watches,  or 
service,  won't  you  please  write  me  and  give  me  a 
chance  to  straighten  matters  out  with  you  ? 


P.S.  By  the  way,  the  demand  for  Ingersoll  watches 
is  heavier  than  ever  this  spring.  Why  not  order  one 
of  the  special  assortments  listed  on  the  circular 
enclosed  ?     It  is  a  dandy. 


347 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Let*s  form  a  partnership  f 


To  give  you  a  better  idea  of  why  it  would  pay  you  to 
handle  Ingersolls,  let's  discuss  the  proposition  just  as 
if  we  were  forming  a  partnership. 

Your  answer  would  most  likely  be — "  Yes,  Mr. 
Hersey,  I  will  form  a  partnership  with  your  company, 
but  I  want  to  name  the  following  conditions  : 

"  You  must  agree  to  sell  me  watches  in  small 
quantities  at  the  same  prices  the  big  stores  pay 
for  them  in  large  quantities.  Your  watches 
should  not  be  sold  by  mailorder  houses. 

"  Then  I  shall  want  you  to  let  me  have  a  line  of 
watches  that  appeal  to  the  greatest  number  of 
people.  I  want  one  for  every  customer — man, 
woman,  or  child.  I  want  you  to  tell  the  people 
in  my  community  about  those  watches  thru  your 
advertising,  so  that  they  will  be  easy  to  sell. 

"  Supply  me  with  signs  for  my  store  front,  and 
display  material  for  my  window,  so  that  I  can 
remind  people  that  I  have  the  watches  they  saw 
advertised.  If  you  do  these  things  for  me,  then  I 
know  you  will  be  giving  me  a  line  that  sells  fast. 
And  let  me  tell  you,  Mr.  Hersey,  that's  what  I 
want — a  Hne  that  turns  four  or  five  times  a  year." 

Now,  that's  exactly  our  proposition  in  a  nut  shell. 
When  you  handle  Ingersolls  you  are  handUng  a  line 
that's  easy  to  sell — a  Hne  of  "  certain  sellers,"  a  line 
on  which  you  can  turn  your  investment  three  to  five 
times  a  year,  and  a  line  that  helps  to  keep  your 
trade  at  home. 

Select  one  of  the  assortments  listed  on  the  circular 
enclosed,  and  check  it  off  on  the  post  card. 


P.S.     The  show  case  offer  is  good  for  only  10  days,  so 
it  is  best  to  get  your  card  in  the  mail  today. 


348 


SELLING   COMMODITY,  ETC. 


The  new  market — and  you,  Mr.  Dealer 
also  an  appetizing  postscript. 


How  are  Ingersolls  selling  ? 

If  the  reports  we  get  every  day  from  our  good  friends 
among  the  trades  are  any  criterion,  and  if  we  can 
judge  from  the  unprecedented  business  our  salesmen 
are  doing,  dealers  are  selling  more  Ingersolls — and  at 
greater  profits  the  individual  sale — than  they  ever 
sold  before. 

But  in  spite  of  the  splendid  sale  of  all  of  our  goods,  we 
are  continuing  our  big  publicity  campaigns  in  the 
national  magazines,  because  we  want  to  make  it  still 
easier  for  our  customers  to  sell  our  watches. 

You  have  notiqed,  we  presume,  that  we  are  devoting 
a  great  deal  of  our  space  to  unique  and  interesting 
Radiolite  advertising.  Thru  this  advertising  and 
the  splendid  cooperation  of  the  trade,  we  have  devel- 
oped a  sale  of  8000  RadioHtes  a  day — over  half  of  all 
the  watches  we  make.  Incidentally,  we  have  opened 
a  new  market  for  watches — because  people  buy 
Radiolites  whether  they  have  other  watches  or  not. 

For  some  little  time  we  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of 
an  order  from  you.  We  are  getting  well  alon,g  toward 
the  season  of  the  year,  when,  in  late  years,  there  has 
been  a  great  shortage  of  Ingersolls  and  many  dealers 
are  disappointed  in  not  being  able  to  get  stock. 

As  we  want  to  take  good  care  of  our  regular  cus- 
tomers, we  suggest  that  you  place  your  order  while 
we  can  still  make  fairly  prompt  deliveries  on  almost 
all  models.     (See  attached  sheet.) 


P.S.  Perhaps  you  have  enough  stock  to  carry  you 
over  until  the  first  of  the  year.  In  that  case  you  will 
want  some  timely  window  display.  We  shall  be  glad 
to  send  some  which  will  suit  your  stock  if  you  will 
indicate  on  the  special  card  what  models  you  carry. 


349 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  tire  for  all  classes  of  dealer  trade. 


I  know  that  every  man  who  has  been  selling  Fisk 
Tires  will  want  to  continue  to  do  so  and  will  want  to 
see  our  New  Year  proposition. 

To  those  of  you  who  are  not  selling  Fisk  Tires,  we  have 
something  exceptional  to  offer,  and  a  little  experience 
will  convince  you  that  to  deal  with  this  Company  is  to 
establish  an  unusually  pleasant  relation. 

These  illustrations  will  give  you  some  idea  of  what 
Fisk  Tires  are  and  how  complete  the  line  is.  The 
actual  tires  will  be  a  revelation  to  you  in  what  a 
product  may  present  in  visible  values. 

There  is  no  line  made  today  which  offers  an  equal 
opportunity  to  the  dealer  in  real  value,  in  selling 
points,  and  in  permanent  satisfaction. 

There  is  a  Fisk  Tire  for  the  man  who  wants  a  good 
tire  of  established  reputation  at  a  medium  price  ;  one 
for  the  motorist  who  wants  a  thoroly  high  grade  tire, 
exceptional  in  appearance  ;  one  for  the  man  who 
wants  the  biggest,  the  best  looking,  and  the  best 
wearing  cord  tire  that  can  be  built. 

All  dealers  are  within  twenty-four  hours  of  the  Fisk 
Branch.  There  is  no  middleman.  Dealers  come  in 
direct  contact  with  The  Fisk  Rubber  Company.  The 
margin  of  profit  is  fair  to  the  man  who  sells  Fisk  Tires. 

This  is  the  only  tire  company  working  to  an  adver- 
tised ideal.  The  Fisk  Company  and  its  employees  are 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  this  ideal,  and  thousands  of 
dealers  are  familiar  with  its  practical  expression. 


350 


SELLING   COMMODITY,  ETC. 


A  localized  service  offer  for  the  dealer  s 
opening  campaign. 


For  a  long  time  we  have  wished  to  be  able  to  offer 
Hartford  motorists  the  same  exceptional  facilities  for 
service  that  we  have  for  so  many  other  cities. 

r 

We  are  now  prepared  to  do  just  that  at  399  Trumbull 
Street  in  the  new  building  recently  completed  for  our 
store  and  service  station,  which  we  invite  you  to  visit 
just  as  soon  as  you  can. 

The  service  station  has  four  entrances  on  Chapel 
Street,  and  will  accommodate  more  than  a  dozen  cars 
at  one  time. 


Drive  in  and  let  us  do  the  work  whether  it  is  testing 
air  or  wheel  alignment,  inflating,  changing  tires,  or 
mounting  spares.  Let  us  give  your  tires  careful 
inspection  which  is  bound  to  result  in  dollar  saving 
and  mileage  increase. 


This  service  is  free  to  you  whether  or  not  you  are 
using  Fisk  tires.  It  places  you  under  no  obligation 
and  you  need  have  no  hesitancy  in  accepting  it. 


Drive  in  at  the  first  opportunity,  see  what  our 
facilities  are,  and  learn  just  what  is  meant  by  the 
nationally  advertised  Fisk  Service. 


351 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


No  narrow-gage  service  policy,  but  free 
for  all  and  all  free. 


We  specialize  in  the  elimination  of  lost  mileage.  We 
help  a  man  to  get  out  of  his  tires  all  the  mileage  that 
was  built  into  them,  and  to  realize  the  last  dollar 
in  his  investment. 

If  you  have  not  looked  into  the  matter,  you  will 
be  surprised  to  learn  how  many  indirect  causes 
influence  your  mileage  returns.  A  httle  talk  with  our 
service  man  will  be  enlightening  and  will  doubtless 
result  in  money  saving  at  this  time  when  countless 
demands  make  every  one  feel  the  need  of  getting  full 
value  for  every  dollar. 

Fisk  Service,  which  is  free,  is  not  restricted  to  the 
users  of  Fisk  tires.  Our  policy  is  unique,  and  while 
all  labor  (except  repairs)  is  free,  our  great  service  to 
you  comes  from  our  knowledge,  and  the  ability  and 
desire  to  apply  that  knowledge  in  a  practical  way  to 
obtain  the  maximum  returns  from  your  tires. 

The  first  time  you  are  in  our  vicinity,  drive  in  and 
satisfy  yourself  regarding  our  policy  and  our  facilities 
— unless  you  are  one  of  the  many  already  taking 
advantage  of  them.  In  that  event  you  know  you 
are  always  welcome. 


Driving  home  the  free  service  policy, 
without  respect  to  brand  of  tire. 


At  your  disposal — Fisk  Free  Tire  Service  regardless 
of  the  make  of  tires  you  use. 

Fisk  Free  Service  can  be  of  real  assistance  to 
you.  Our  men  are  ready  to  change  tires,  inflate, 
test  for  pressure  or  wheel  alignment — all  without 
charge — promptly  and  willingly. 
Any  automobiUst  owner  or  driver,  irrespective  of 
the  kind  of  tires  used,  is  gladly  offered  this  service. 
Drive  around  to  us  the  next  time  you  want  tire  help 
of  any  kind.  We  charge  only  for  aptual  repairs 
to  casing  or  tube. 

Location — 1431  Van  Ness  Avenue. 


352 


SELLING  COMMODITY,  ETC, 


Service  again,  and  again  from  the  point 
of  view  of  economy. 


You  can  save  money  on  tires  by  keeping  your  casings 
and  tubes  in  first  class  condition. 


We  have  a  complete  and  up-to-date  repair  shop 
where  the  methods  are  the  most  modern  and  the 
workmen  are  experts,  and  where  we  repair  tires  of 
all  makes. 


We  use  only  our  own  highgrade  materials,  and  our 
men  are  trained  to  do  the  work  as  it  is  done  at  the 
factory  where  the  tires  are  made.  Our  prices  are 
right.  We  do  not  have  to  dwell  on  the  advisability 
of  your  bringing  to  us  tires  and  tubes  for  examination, 
because  our  repair  department  is  operated  solely  for 
the  convenience  of  tire  users.  It  is  a  part  of  the 
Fisk  policy  to  see  that,  as  far  as  possible,  we  do  our 
share  toward  insuring  satisfactory  tire  experience 
to  every  car  owner. 

If  it  will  not  pay  you  to  have  either  casing  or  tube 
repaired,  we  shall  advise  you  to  that  effect.  If  it 
will  pay,  we  can  do  the  work  in  such  a  way  that 
you  will  get  the  most  out  of  it. 


If  your  tires  have  not  been  recently  inspected,  let 
us  look  them  over  and  see  whether  they  have  the 
right  inflation,  whether  your  wheels  are  in  line,  and 
whether  the  brakes  are  equahzed,  so  that  you  may 
give  your  tire  equipment  a  fair  chance  in  every  respect. 


353 

23— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Featuring  a  single  service  attention, 
namely,  alignment  of  wheels :  a 
little  thing,  yes,  hut  just  see  how 
important  it  may  he. 


Are  you  sure  that  the  wheels  of  your  car  are  in 
alignment  ? 


Do  you  know  that  with  wheels  out  of  line  the  tires 
are  soon  ground  to  the  fabric  ?  Nothing  else  wears 
them  out  so  fast. 


Do  you  understand  that  no  matter  what  tires  you 
drive  we  are  glad  to  test  your  wheel  alignment 
without  charge  ?  Within  a  month  nearly  3000  cars 
have  come  to  the  various  Fisk  Service  Stations  for 
this  test.  Most  conservatively  speaking  more  than 
10  per  cent  were  found  with  wheels  out  of  line. 

More  than  300  cars  were  each  taking  more  wear  out  of 
tires,  as  a  result  of  bad  alignment,  than  could  be  done 
by  a  thousand  miles  of  travel.  Think  of  the  dollars 
and  miles  sacrificed  in  a  year  if  this  percentage  holds 
good  in  the  millions  of  cars  in  use. 

How  about  your  car  ?  Let  us  test  it  for  you.  It  takes 
very  little  to  put  wheels  out  of  line.  A  hit  at  a 
certain  angle  with  a  knock  that  may  be  hardly 
noticeable  to  you  when  it  occurs — and  the  damage  is 
done.  If  the  remedy  is  not  immediate,  you  are 
money  out  of  pocket  with  nothing  in  return. 

We  test  alignment,  test  air  pressure,  inflate,  dismount' 
and  reassemble  tires,  mount  spares,  etc.,  as  part  of 
Fisk  Service.     It  is  all  free  to  every  one  no  matter 
what    tires    are    used.      Remember    the    address — 
1313  New  York  Avenue. 


354 


SELLING  COMMODITY,  ETC. 


The  four  letters  that  follow  feature  the  sales  salients  strongly, 
hut  never  at  the  sacrifice  of  tone  and  dignity. 

1. 

Nothing  like  keeping  salesmen  informed 
of  correlated  efforts  in  publicity. 


Watch  Hebe  ! 

It  is  going  to  move  faster,  and  every  one  of  your 
dealers  should  have  an  ample  stock  ready  to  take 
care  of  the  demand  that  is  being  created  by — 

— our    sales-compelling    campaign,    now    running 
in  the — 

Seattle  Times, 
Tacoma  News-Tribune, 
Seattle  Post-Intelligencer. 

This  campaign  will  continue  to  the  end  of  September. 

We  know  you  are  working  hard  to  get  100  per  cent 
distribution  on  Hebe.  To  help  you  we  shall  send 
you  in  a  day  or  two  a  new  Hebe  PortfoHo,  contain- 
ing proofs  of  this  newspaper  campaign — and  full 
information. 

Show  it  to  your  dealers — ^it  will  help  you  to  overcome 
their  objections  because  steady  demand  is  being 
created  by  this  advertisin'g. 

Help  the  dealer  to  "  hitch  "  his  store  to  this  campaign. 
Help  him  put  in  a  counter  display,  or  a  poster,  a 
cutout,  or  other  store  advertising  material. 

Helping  the  dealer  will  help  you  get  bigger  business 
on  Hebe. 


2. 

Not  only  arming  the  salesmen  with  plenty  of 
concrete  information,  hut  spreading  a  contagion 
of  house  enthusiasm  among  them  as  well. 


We  are  sending  you,  under  separate  cover,  the  new 
Hebe  portfolio  which  will  help  you  to  get  more  sales. 

When  you  get  this,  please  go  thru  it  carefully  and 
note  that — 

[Contd.onp.  356 

355 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Contd.  from  p.  355] 

First — We  are  giving  you  the  circulation  figures  of 
Hebe  magazine  advertising  by  cities  in  the  territory 
covered  by  you.  This  is  real  "sales  ammunition." 
You  can  show  your  dealer  in  the  larger  cities  the  exact 
number  of  Hebe  messages  going  into  the  homes  in 
his  city. 

Second — The  booklet — "Establishing  a  Better  Know- 
ledge of  Hebe  " — shows  proofs  of  national  advertising. 
Be  sure  to  show  these  to  your  dealers,  and  emphasize 
to  them  the  value  of  this  advertising. 

Third — It  contains  proofs  of  the  aggressive  newspaper 
advertising  campaign  that  will  be  carried  on  in  the 
larger  cities  as  indicated  in  the  portfolio.  These  proofs 
should  be  called  to  the  attention  of  every  dealer,  and 
be  sure  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  each  advertisement 
suggests  to  the  reader  that  Hebe  can  be  had  from 
the  grocer. 

Fourth — Plans  are  supplied  for  a  very  forceful,  direct 
advertising  plan  that  we  are  going  to  try  out  for 

ONE   WEEK    ONLY. 

For  six  days  after  receipt  of  this  portfolio,  you  will 
endeavor  to  get  from  twenty  "  hardest  to  sell  "  dealers 
you  call  on,  a  list  not  exceeding  fifteen  names,  of  the 
best  housewives  trading  at  that  dealer's  store.  These 
should  be  good  prospects  for  Hebe.  These  lists  are  to 
be  sent  in  each  night  with  your  daily  report. 

As  soon  as  they  are  received  by  us,  we  shall  send 
out  to  each  name  on  the  list,  a  Hebe  Recipe  Book 
accompanied  by  a  specially  written  letter  from 
Helen  F.  Easter,  the  Director  6f  our  Home  Economy 
Department.     (See  a  copy  in  the  portfolio.) 

Note — and  call  to  the  attention  of  each  of  your  dealers 
— ^the  fact  that  the  grocer  is  specifically  mentioned  in 
the  letter. 

Last,  but  not  least,  we  have  included  some  Hebe 
display  material.  To  get  the  full  value  of  this  adver- 
tising that  we  are  carrying  on,  you  should  make  it  a 
point  to  place  in  each  dealer's  window,  or  somewhere 
prominently  in  his  store,  a  cutout  or  poster  at  least. 

Make  Hebe  stand  first  in  its  class. 
356 


SELLING  COMMODITY,   ETC. 


3. 

Every  salesman  should  insist  upon 
having  a  usable  house  organ,  and 
should  feel  himself  obligated  to  use  it. 


Special  Bulletin — The  value  of  the  Carnation 

News. 


Paul  C.  Parke,  our  Southern  California  sales  represen- 
tative, went  to  call  on  a  grocer  who  had  not  been  selling 
Carnation. 


But — ^that  didn't  stop  Mr.  Parke.  He  produced  the 
last  copy  of  Carnation  News — but  perhaps  we  had 
better  let  him  tell  his  own  story.     Here  it  is  : 


Showed  Carnation  News  to  all  merchants  I 
called    on    today.     Called    on    Mr.    McKibbon 

WHO  HAD   not  been   SELLING  CARNATION.       But 

by  showing  him  in  Carnation  how  '  Grocer 
Became  Modern  Milkman  '  and  increased  sales 
$400.  a  month — I  succeeded  in  selling  him 

TEN   cases." 


How  about  you  ?  Are  you  using  Carnation  News  to 
win  the  dealer  over  to  Carnation  Milk — or  to  have 
him  increase  his  order — ^to  get  window  displays  ? 

Mr.  Parke  leads  the  way — who  is  next  ? 


Tell  us  your  experience — ^let  us  have  it  by  return 
mail  if  possible. 


357 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


4. 

Know  our  advertising,  Mr.  Salesman, 
or  you  cannot  do  your  best  work  for  us. 


Consistent — 

— please  get  that  word  firmly  fixed  in  your  mind  as 
describing  Carnation  advertising. 

For — Carnation  never  plans  a  hastily-thought-out 
"  flash-in-the-pan "  campaign  designed  to  create 
a  temporary  demand — with  the  idea  of  forcing 
distribution. 

Every  local  advertising  campaign  is  consistent,  and 
carefully  thought  out.  It  is  dove-tailed  into  our 
national  advertising  plans — with  absolutely  one 
purpose. 

To  create  a  steady — all-year-round — year-in-and- 
year-out  consumer  demand — so  that  Carnation  will 

MOVE     FROM     THE     DEALER'S     SHELVES     STEADILY 

creating  a  desirable  profit  and  turn-over. 

This  folder  containing  the  advertisements  to  appear 
in  our  Pacific  Coast  campaign,  should  be  inserted  in 
your  regular  Carnation  PortfoHo.  Complete  sched- 
ules of  the  advertisements  as  they  appear  in  each 
newspaper  in  your  territory  have  already  been  sent 
you.  Please  be  sure  to  forward  copies  of  this  schedule 
to  all  our  salesmen  interested,  so  that  they  may  have 
them  for  their  folders  which,  by  the  way,  are  going 
to  them  today. 

Use  both  your  regular  portfoHo  and  these  addenda 
conscientiously.  Impress  upon  your  dealers  the  fact 
that  others  may  make  a  temporary  "  splurge," 
creating  a  forced  and  temporary  demand — but  the 
prime  objective  of  Carnation  advertising  is — a 
healthy,  consistent  demand  for  Carnation  that 
produces  a  turn-over  necessary  for  the  dealer  if  his 
business  is  to  be  profitable. 

The  local  advertising,  supplementing  as  it  does  our 
big  national  magazine  advertising,  will  continue  until 
the  end  of  the  year.  If  you  will  cover  the  ideas  out- 
lined above  while  calling  on  your  dealers,  we  are  sure 
that  this  will  be  the  biggest  Carnation  year  in  your 
territory. 


358 


SELLING  COMMODITY,   ETC. 


A  little  too  much  we,  perhaps,  hut 
with  a  very  sincere  ring. 


On  looking  over  our  past  records,  we  find  that  you 
have  not  ordered  hosiery  from  us  during  the  past 
year.  As  we  are  personally  interested  in  each 
individual  customer,  we  are  desirous  of  knowing 
why  you  have  not  reordered. 

Are  we  at  fault  ?  Were  you  not  satisfied  with  the 
hosiery  ?  If  we  are  in  the  wrong,  or  our  hosiery 
defective,  just  tell  us  about  it.  Give  us  this  infor- 
mation on  the  back  of  this  letter,  and  use  the  enclosed 
stamped  envelope  for  return. 

We  hope  that  there  was  no  dissatisfaction,  but 
that  you  were  not  yet  ready  to  place  your  order. 
If  so,  and  you  are  in  need  of  hosiery  at  this  time, 
the  enclosed  order  blank  will  be  opportune. 


Building  customer  interest  in  a  new 
product. 


As  a  Packard  owner  you  will  be  interested  to  keep 
in  touch  with  the  progress  of  the  Packard  Company 
in  other  fields  of  automotive  transportation. 

Our  latest  achievement — a  commercial  airplane, 
driven  by  a  Packard  aviation  motor — is  now  being 
shown  at  the  Aeronautical  Exposition  as  Madison 
Square  Garden.  ^ 

The  Packard  Twin-Six — the  Packard  Truck — the 
Packard  Aviation  Motor — and  now  the  Packard 
Airplane — the  logical  result  of  our  seventeen  years 
of  experience  as  automotive  transportation  engineers. 


359 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  follow-up  calculated  to  reach  deep  down  into  the 
customer's  heart. 


Now  that  you  have  received  your  new  Twin-Six 
we  want  to  assist  you  in  maintaining  that  high 
standard  of  continuous  service  to  which  you  are 
entitled. 

The  amount  and  kind  of  service  needed  will  depend 
very  largely  upon  the  care  and  attention  which  the 
car  receives. 

You  owe  it  to  yourself,  the  car,  and  the  investment 
to  know  and  follow  the  factory  recommendations. 
The  information  book  which  you  have  covers  these 
points  fully  in  a  clear  practical  way.  Please  make 
sure  that  any  others  who  are  to  drive  the  car 
understand  the  instructions  also. 

By  the  terms  of  your  sales  contract  you  are  entitled 
during  the  first  thirty  days  to  receive  gratis  inspections 
and  adjustments,  and  we  should  be  very  much 
pleased  to  have  you  bring  your  car  to  our  Service 
Station  for  this  purpose  during  this  important 
period  when  the  car  is  "finding  itself."  We  hope 
you  will  feel  free  to  avail  yourself  fully  of  our  service 
facilities  at  all  times. 


The  company  seemingly  more  interested  in  extending 
service  than  the  customer  is  in  availing  himself  of  it. 


A  week  or  so  ago  we  urged  you  to  bring  your  car 
in  and  have  a  thoro  inspection  made.  Up  to  the 
present  we  do  not  seem  to  have  heard  from  you 
in  this  connection.  Possibly  our  letter  failed  to 
reach  you. 

We  take  pleasure  in  extending  our  offer  for  one 
week  longer  and  we  feel  sure  that  you  will  take 
advantage  of  it  before  the  responsibihty  passes 
entirely  to  you.  We  are  not  setting  a  definite 
time  for  this  inspection,  but  shall  endeavor  to  suit 
your  convenience  whenever  you  care  to  get  into 
touch  with  us. 


360 


SELLING  COMMODITY,   ETC. 


The  customer  is  offered  opportunity 
to  prove  truck  service  for  himself. 


Do  you  know  what  the  operation  and  care  of  your 
Packard  truck  is  costing  you  ? 

Do  you  know  positively  which  type  of  truck  is 
most  economical  for  any  certain  service  ? 

Would  you  like  to  have  a  definite  picture  at  the 
end  of  a  year's  service  of  just  what  your  Packard 
truck  accomplished  and  what  it  cost  to  do  it  ? 

The  Packard  Factory  Truck  Sales  Department 
has  just  completed  a  record  form  in  which  can 
be  entered  complete  truck  data  for  an  entire  year, 
and  we  are  prepared  to  supply  you  with  this  form 
for  your  convenience.  If  you  desire,  we  shall  be 
glad  to  explain  this  to  you  fully. 


A  new  educational  departure  in  truck  service. 


You  have  great  expectations  from  the  operation 
of  a  Packard  Truck.  But  the  owner  of  a  Packard 
not  only  has  a  truck  that  has  proved  itself  to  be 
the  most  advanced  product  of  motor  transportation — 
he  has  a  truck  backed  by  a  Service  Organization 
that  insures  the  greatest  degree  of  continued 
satisfaction. 

One  of  the  popular  service  features  with  Packard 
owners  is  the  Packard  Truck  Instruction  Course 
described  in  the  enclosed  folder.  It  is  available  not 
only  to  the  man  operating  a  Packard  but  to  any 
person,  as  soon  as  an  order  is  placed  for  a  Packard. 
It,  therefore,  gives  a  new  customer,  or  his  driver, 
the  unusual  opportunity  of  becoming  thoroly  famiUar 
with  the  truck  before  taking  delivery. 

If  you  attend  the  Truck  Show  next  week  inquire 
about  the  instruction  Course  at  our  exhibit  No.  19. 
We  shall  also  be  glad  to  advise  you  in  detail  just 
what  is  meant  by  our  advertised  offer  to  analyze 
your  transportation  problems  without  cost  or 
obUgation  on  your  part. 

Look  us  up. 


361 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  letter  calculated  to  make  the  chauffeur 
take  genuine  pride  in  his  job  and  in 
himself. 


Inasmuch  as  you  must  feel  a  natural  responsibility 
for  the  satisfactory  operation  of  your  new  Packard 
Twin-Six,  we  wish  to  suggest  that  you  get  from 
your  employer  copies  of  the  several  letters  we  are 
sending  him,  calling  attention  to  particular  operating 
features  of  this  car,  that  you,  as  well  as  he,  will 
want  to  know. 


In  this  connection  we  want  you  to  realize  that  we 
are  sincerely  interested  in  the  welfare  of  this  car. 
We  expect  you  to  stop  at  the  station  frequently 
to  let  us  know  how  satisfactorily  it  is  operating. 
We  want  you  to  feel  perfectly  free  to  ask  us  for 
any  instruction  or  advice  on  the  care  it  should 
have  whenever  you  feel  this  may  be  useful  to  you. 

Please  feel  assured  that  every  owner  and  operator 
of  a  Packard  vehicle  is  entitled  to  regard  himself 
as  one  of  the  Packard  family,  and  as  such  will 
always  be  a  welcome  visitor. 


362 


SELLING  COMMODITY,   ETC. 


A  special  tire  service  just  for  you. 


You  may  find  it  interesting  to  stop  at  our  Accessories 
Store,  Broadway  at  61  Street,  on  Wednesday, 
Thursday,  or  Friday  of  this  week  between  nine 
and  four  o'clock,  and  get  some  pointers  on  the 
care  of  tires  from  the  expert  who  will  be  there 
these  days. 

He  paid  us  a  visit  a  few  days  ago,  and  he  had  such 
a  fund  of  valuable  information  on  tires  and  their 
care,  that  we  felt  sure  every  Packard  owner  would 
be  glad  to  get  the  benefit  of  it.  You  will  be  sur- 
prised— we  were — at  the  remarkable  returns  you 
get  in  the  increased  life  of  your  tires  by  doing  a  few 
simple  things. 

You  will  be  welcome  any  time,  and  there  will  be 
no  solicitation  to  buy  unless  you  want  to. 


More  than  a  mere  follow-up  ;  almost 
a  how-do-you-do  and  a  handshake. 


Your  name  has  been  placed  on  our  mailing  list 
in  order  that  you  may  receive  copies  of  our  regular 
and  our  occasional  publications. 

Please  accept  these  as  they  come  to  you,  with 
our  compliments. 

You  may  find  it  to  your  advantage  to  keep  a  file 
of  the  Monthly  Bulletin.  We  have  customers 
that  report  it  an  excellent  financial  reference  book. 
We  print  a  complete  index  of  it  at  the  close  of  each 
year. 

If  this  Monthly  Bulletin  fails  to  reach  you  shortly 
after  the  first  of  every  month,  kindly  notify  us, 
and  a  duplicate  copy  will  be  mailed  to  you. 

Our  motto  is  :    use  us. 


363 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Selling  the  school  to  the  parent 
cordially  and  cooperatively. 


We  are  very  glad  indeed  to  welcome  your 

to „ High  School. 

Now  that  the  work  of  the  new  term  is  fairly  under 
way,  we  think  it  may  be  well  to  explain  to  you  some 
of  the  things  that  intimately  concern  your  child  under 
new  conditions  and  surroundings  : 

First — Promptness  and  regularity  in  attendance 
must  be  insisted  upon,  if  success  in  work 
is  to  be  achieved. 

Second — A  certain  amount  of  home  work  must  be 
done  every  afternoon  or  evening.  As  a 
rule  it  is  unnecessary  for  any  first  term 
pupil  to  spend  more  than  one  hour  and 
a  half  at  such  work. 

Third — Courtesy  and  politeness  are  at  all  times 
and  places  required.  The  home  is 
especially  urged  to  cooperate  with  the 
school  in  this  connection.  Now,  more 
than  ever  before,  perhaps,  is  it  necessary 
that  young  people  have  it  impressed  upon 
them  that  correctness  in  general  attitude 
and  bearing  is  essential  to  complete 
American^  citizenship  and  successful 
living. 

During  the  term  you  will  be  asked  to  sign  four  reports 
on  your  child's  work,  as  follows  : 

At  the  expiration  of  five  weeks  ;  at  the  expiration 
of  TEN  weeks  ;  at  the  expiration  of  fifteen  weeks  ; 
at  the  expiration  of  twenty  weeks,  or  term  end. 

We  are  always  ready  and  eager  to  confer  with  the 

parents  of High  School  pupils,  and  we 

extend  to  you  personally  an  invitation  to  call  upon 
us  whenever  you  feel  that  consultation  will  make  for 
the  advantage  of  your  child's  education  and  general 
welfare. 


[Contd.onp.  365 

364 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


Contd.  from  p.  364] 

RETURN   COUPON 

I  have  received  and  read  the 
letter  delivered  to  me  by  my 
son  daughter  ward. 

Class 

Signature  of  Parent. 


PRACTICE. 

1.  With  the  completion  of  a  new  wing  to  the  building  of  an 
express  company,  the  opening  of  three  branch  offices  in  different 
parts  of  the  city,  and  the  enlargement  of  service  to  include  travel, 
storage,  banking,  and  insurance,  the  company  is  ready,  let  us 
say,  to  make  a  campaign  for  increased  business.  Write  a  letter 
of  about  one  page,  perhaps  longer,  making  a  general  appeal  to 
individuals — men  and  women — setting  forth  the  special  oppor- 
tunities, both  new  and  old,  that  the  express  company  is  able  to 
offer.  Aim  to  make  your  copy  strong  and  convincing  in  appeal 
without  being  aggressive  or  directly  competitive. 

2.  Let  us  assume  that,  for  mutual  benefit  to  be  derived,  your 
bank  is  desirous  of  having  the  Stetson  Roller  Company  of  Chicago 
open  an  account.  Your  foreign  exchange  department  is  already 
serving  this  company  to  some  extent  by  way  of  commercial  letters 
of  credit.  But  payments  by  this  department  are  usually  made 
thru  cashier's  check.  It  would  simplify  the  operation,  certainly, 
if  you  could  credit  these  payments  directly  to  the  account  of  the 
Stetson  Roller  Company,  if  there  were  such  an  account.  And  this 
is  only  one  of  the  many  ways  in  which  a  Stetson  Roller  Company 
account  would  be  a  convenience  at  both  ends.  Without  appearing 
to  interfere  and  without  too  strong  a  note  of  solicitation,  write  a 
letter  to  the  Stetson  Roller  Company  selling  the  facilities  offered 
by  your  various  service  departments,  and  pointing  out  the 
advantages  to  them  of  having  an  account  with  you. 

365 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


3.  The  new  Janus  Fountain  Pen  is  so  constructed  that  it  may  be 
used  for  red  ink  and  for  black.  The  cyHndrical  ink  holder  is 
partitioned.  By  pressing  a  small  button  in  the  top,  the  side 
containing  black  ink  begins  to  flow  and  the  black  pen  is  pressed 
down  into  place.  Automatically  the  red  flow  is  closed,  and  the 
red  pen  pulled  up  within  the  frame.  There  is  a  gage  to  adjust 
the  flow  in  case  red  and  black  are  needed  in  rapid  alternation. 
And  in  this  event  both  pens  may  be  left  down  at  the  same  level. 
Inasmuch  as  the  pens  are  flat  in  construction,  they  operate  equally 
well  on  the  one  side  as  on  the  other.  (1)  Write  a  letter  to  stationers, 
selling  this  new  idea  in  fountain  pen  manufacture,  and  urging  them 
to  include  it  in  their  fall  orders.  (2)  Write  a  letter  to  be  sent  to 
district  sales  managers,  explaining  to  them  that  you  have  sent  a 
letter  to  dealers,  and  telling  them  to  follow  up.  (3)  Write  a  letter 
to  be  sent  to  the  homes  of  school  children,  selHng  the  new  pen  to 
them.     Assume  that  school  is  about  to  open  for  the  fall  term. 

4.  Tho  the  markets  have  suffered  no  dearth  of  breakfast  foods, 
the  Ceres  Products  Company  is  coming  forward  with  an  additional 
one.  But  the  new  food  Wheatle  is  not  merely  one  more  ;  it  has 
many  distinctive  features.  It  is  a  prepared  whole  wheat  cereal, 
requiring  no  cooking.  It  is  sweetened  in  manufacture.  By 
scientific  test  it  is  superior  in  caloric  value  to  any  other  food  yet 
offered  the  public.  And  the  superiority  of  wheat  as  a  food  over 
oats  and  corn  is  a  well-established  fact.  Wheatle  is  put  up  in  a 
twenty  ounce  carton,  and  within  each  carton  it  is  re-packaged  so 
that  each  smaller  package  holds  just  sufficient  for  a  breakfast 
portion.  Prepare  circular  letters  to  be  sent  (1)  to  dealers  in  order 
to  get  them  to  stock  up  with  Wheatle,  (2)  to  dealers  for  distribution 
among  their  customers. 

5.  Let  us  assume  that  a  new  overshoe  is  to  be  placed  on  the 
market.  The  exterior  is  rubber,  but  the  interior  consists  of  a  thin 
flexible  leather  lining.  This  lining  prevents  "  drawing  "  of  the  feet, 
and  keeps  them  cool  and  comfortable.  The  wearing  of  overshoes, 
considered  by  so  many  people  to  be  an  annoyance  and  a  discomfort, 
becomes  a  satisfaction  and  even  a  pleasure  with  the  Leatherettes. 
Besides,  among  the  great  variety  of  styles  offered,  there  is  one 
style  from  which  the  leather  inside  is  removable,  and  therefore 
usable  as  an  easy  lounging  slipper.  The  prices  of  Leatherettes  are 
no  higher  than  those  of  ordinary  overshoes.     The  Leatherettes  wear 

366 


SELLING  COMMODITY,   ETC. 


better  than  the  ordinary  overshoes,  inasmuch  as  the  tough  leather 
hning  lends  durability.  This  leather  lining  also  helps  the  overshoe 
to  keep  its  shape  and  to  look  always  new.  Write  a  series  of  six 
follow-ups  selling  tliis  new  overshoe  to  shoe  dealers  in  all  parts  of 
the  country.  Phrase  these  letters  in  such  a  way  as  to  mak6  it 
possible  for  the  dealers  to  pass  them  out  to  customers  as  advertising 
matter. 

6.  A  large  tannage  company,  let  us  say  (perhaps  the  Witchcraft 
Tannage  Company,  Salem,  Mass.),  has  heretofore  confined  its 
business  to  the  book  binding  leathers.  It  has  handled  such  con- 
tracts as  the  Encyclopedia  Brittanica,  the  Oxford  Bible,  the  books 
and  manuscripts  of  wealthy  private  collectors,  and  so  forth.  But 
now,  owing  to  the  greater  fluidity  of  the  leather  market,  the 
company  is  to  expand  its  activities  to  include  gloves,  other  leather 
wearing  apparel,  leather  for  upholstery,  and  a  special  leather  floor 
covering.  For  the  last  named  commodity  it  makes  a  mop,  specially 
treated  with  an  oil  cleanser  and  preservative.  (1)  Write  a  letter  to 
be  sent  to  hardware  and  department  shops,  selling  the  new  floor 
covering  Leatheroleum  to  them,  and  urging  them  to  add  it  to 
their  stock  in  order  to  meet  the  customer  demand  that  will  be 
created  as  the  result  of  a  vigorous  advertising  campaign  that  you 
are  about  to  make.  (2)  Write  a  letter  to  furniture  makers,  selling 
your  upholstery  stocks.  (3)  Write  a  letter  to  small  shopkeepers, 
selling  your  gloves. 

7.  The  Pore-Perfecto  Products  Company  has  asked  you  to 
prepare  the  letter  copy  for  the  first  of  its  six  proprietary  articles. 
This  is  a  combination  hair  tonic,  face  lotion,  and  antiseptic.  The 
big  selling  point  of  Pore-Perfecto  Products  is  that  each  one  of  them 
is  a  chemical  combination  capable  of  serving  two  or  three  different 
purposes.  This  is  both  economical  and  convenient.  No  longer 
need  milady's  dressing  table  be  weighted  with  numerous  beauty 
boxes  and  bottles.  She  will  never  have  to  assume  responsibility 
for  more  than  six,  if  she  uses  Pore-Perfecto,  and  rarely  will  she  need 
all  of  these.  Most  of  the  products  are  suitable  for  men's  use  also. 
(1)  Write  a  strong  sales  letter  to  druggists,  urging  them  to  place 
the  Pore-Perfecto  Products  on  their  hsts.  (2)  Write  a  letter  to  be 
sent  to  society  women  in  some  well-to-do  community.  (3)  Write  a 
letter  to  be  sent  by  druggists  who  sell  these  products,  to  a  selected 
list  of  men. 


367 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


8.  There  may  be  room  for  another  cigarette  on  the  market.  We 
shall  say  so,  at  any  rate.  It  is  a  blend  of  Old  World  and  New  World 
tobacco.  Not  only  is  it  "  smooth "  and  "  satisfjdng "  and 
"  oriental  "  and  "  Virginia,"  all  in  one,  but  it  .is  also  a  "  savory 
smoke."  It  is  made  in  a  variety  of  sizes,  and  with  straw,  cork, 
plain,  gold,  and  Russian  tips.  There  is,  in  addition,  a  special 
rose  leaf  tip  made  up  in  special  boxes  for  clubs,  colleges,  and  certain 
hotels.  As  this  rose  leaf  tip  is  perishable  in  about  twenty-four 
hours,  only  such  quantity  is  prepared  for  daily  consumption  as 
advance  orders  justify.  Let  us  assume  that  you  are  tr3dng 
to  get  haberdashers  to  take  up  this  new  cigarette  as  a  side  line. 
Write  a  strong  introductory  letter  to  the  highest-class  haberdashers 
in  a  city,  setting  forth  the  special  features  of  the  new  cigarette, 
offering  to  furnish  an  especially  attractive  display  case  for 
introductory  purposes,  and  making  especially  hberal  terms. 

9.  Let  us  suppose  that  a  special  kind  of  dupUcating  paper  has 
been  invented,  that  obviates  the  necessity  for  using  carbons  in 
order  to  secure  copies.  In  the  process  of  manufacture  the  sheet  is 
somehow  "  inlaid  "  with  a  substance  that  makes  this  self -copying 
possible.  There  are  varying  degrees  of  inlay.  Some  sheets  give 
exactly  one  clear  copy ;  others  are  so  prepared  as  to  yield  two, 
three,  four,  five,  or  six.  In  appearance  and  sizing  the  processed 
paper  is  similar  to  a  heavy  bond.  It  is  made  in  all  styles  and  sizes. 
Special  book:,  and  pads  are  prepared  for  use  in  shops  where  sales 
people  are  required  to  make  out  orders  in  duplicate  and  triplicate. 

(1)  Write  a  letter  to  stationers,  urging  them  to  add  this  duplicating 
paper   to    their   stock ;     give   them   special   introductory   terms. 

(2)  Write  a  series  of  three  letters  for  dealer-help  purposes,  to  be 
distributed  by  dealers  to  customers  who  would  be  likely  to  buy 
in  large  amounts. 

10.  The  two-faced  watch  has  been  called  into  being  as  the  result 
of  the  daylight  saving  confusion.  It  is  so  devised  that  there  is  a 
face  within  a  face,  one  to  be  set  according  to  daylight  saving  time, 
and  one  according  to  standard  time.  Another  style  has  a  face  on 
each  side  one  labeled  old  and  one  new,  but  this  is  for  pocket  use 
only.  All  of  the  various  devices  common  to  other  watches  are 
carried  on  the  two-face — the  minute  hand,  the  radium  illumination, 
the  stop-watch  stem,  and  the  like.  There  are  also  two-faced  clocks. 
One  of  them — the  Double  Barrelled  Ben — ^may  be  set  for  both  old 


SELLING  COMMODITY,   ETC. 


and  new  time.  (1)  Write  a  letter  to  be  sent  to  commuters,  selling 
the  Double  Barrelled  Ben  Alarm  Clock.  (2)  Write  a  letter  to  be 
sent  to  commercial  travelers,  selling  the  two-faced  watch.  (3)  Write 
a  letter  to  be  sent  to  railway  officials,  giving  reasons  why  this  watch 
should  be  bought  in  quantity  for  distribution  among  railway 
employees. 

11.  The  new  wing  of  the  Brown  National  Bank  of  your  city  has 
just  been  completed.  This  makes  it  possible  for  the  bank  to  offer 
increased  facilities  and  more  commodious  quarters  to  its  old 
clientele.  It  has  added  foreign,  savings,  and  trust  departments  ; 
has  installed  the  latest  improved  safe  deposit  vaults ;  and  has 
adopted  the  convenient  arrangement  of  paying  and  receiving  at 
the  same  windows.  The  bank  is,  of  course,  eager  to  increase  its 
business,  in  view  of  all  this  expansive  service  and  accommodation. 
Write  two  letters  :  one  to  the  old  customers,  explaining  these  new 
facilities  and  soliciting  increased  business  from  them ;  the  other, 
to  a  selected  list  of  prospects  of  various  classes,  soliciting  new 
business. 

12.  A  chain  of  Tidy-Up  Shops  is  to  be  established  in  the  business 
centers  of  the  half  dozen  largest  cities  thruout  the  country.  The 
purpose  of  these  shops  is  to  afford  opportunity  to  "  tidy-up,"  to 
those  business  men  and  women  who  do  not  want  to  rush  home 
between  office  closing  hours  and  evening  engagements,  or  who 
arrive  in  the  city  from  over-night  travel  too  late  and  too  tired  to 
go  home  before  going  to  work.  Facilities  of  all  kinds  are  offered : 
manicure,  barber,  bath,  tailoring,  hair  dressing,  shoe  polishing. 
Slot  machines  supply  clean  linen.  Soiled  linen  may  be  left  for 
laundering.  There  are  rest  rooms  and  refreshment  buffets.  A 
trained  corps  of  attendants  render  every  possible  valet  service. 
Signs  in  various  places  proclaim  "  no  tipping  permitted,  under 
penalty  of  exclusion."  There  is  an  entrance  fee  of  twenty-five 
cents,  which  covers  checking  privilege.  Other  fees  are  payable 
"  as  you  go,"  but  no  fee  is  higher  than  the  price  of  corresponding 
service  would  be  elsewhere.  The  Tidy-Up  Shops  are  never  closed. 
Write  four  letters,  selling  the  Tidy-Up  Shop  service  to  (1)  travel- 
ing men  and  women ;  (2)  to  clerks  and  salespeople  in  local 
estabhshments ;    (3)  to  casual  passers-by ;    (4)  to  tired  shoppers. 

13.  We  shall  assume  that  a  new  advertising  encyclopedia  of 
twenty-five  volumes  is  to  be  placed  on  the  market.     The  price  of 


24— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


the  encyclopedia  is  one  hundred  dollars,  payable  on  the  instalment 
plan,  if  desired.  There  is  no  cheaper  edition  ;  there  are  two  more 
expensive  editions  :  one  sells  at  $150.,  and  the  other  at  $175. 
The  encyclopedia  is  the  biggest  thing  of  its  kind  ever  offered  to  the 
public.  It  covers  all  civilized  countries.  Its  editors  and  con- 
tribi:tors  are  the  most  prominent  business  men  and  educators  in 
the  world.  Among  the  other  volumes  in  the  complete  set,  there  is 
one  devoted  exclusively  to  each  of  the  following  subjects  :  History 
of  Advertising,  Psychology  of  Advertising,  Ethics  of  Advertising, 
Economics  of  Advertising,  Advertising  Illustration,  Color  Copy, 
Appropriations.  The  encyclopedia  mu^t  of  course  be  in  all  libraries, 
public  and  institutional.  It  should  be  owned  by  all  students  of 
advertising.  It  should  likewise  be  in  the  office  of  every  retail  and 
wholesale  advertiser,  and  of  every  advertising  agent.  (1)  Write  a 
letter  to  be  sent  to  educational  institutions,  selling  the  lower- 
priced  edition  of  the  encyclopedia.  (2)  Write  a  letter  to  large 
business  institutions,  selling  the  higher-priced  edition  of  the 
encyclopedia. 

14.  We  shall  assume  that  you  are  interested  in  a  new  corre- 
spondence course  in  home  cooking.  Your  course  consists  of  ten 
books,  and  ten  lectures  and  demonstrations  to  groups  of  students 
in  different  localities.  Tho  your  appeal  is  principally  to  women 
and  the  home,  you  offer  service  also  to  hotels  and  restaurants. 
Among  other  things  you  place  emphasis  upon  hygiene,  sanitation, 
recipe  building,  dietetics,  and  menus.  You  have  testimonials  from 
the  greatest  food  experts  in  the  country,  as  well  as  from  many 
prominent  families  in  all  parts.  Some  of  your  many  slogans  are, 
"  Make  your  table  safe  for  digestion,"  "  Keep  the  home  cooks 
learning,"  "  Better  be  dead  than  not  well  fed."  The  price  of  your 
course  is  $75.,  percentage  reduction  being  made  according  to  size 
of  groups.  Write  a  series  of  follow-ups,  consisting  of  five  or  six 
letters,  to  be  sent  to  prominent  housewives  in  a  given  community. 
Devote  each  letter  to  a  single  selling  point. 

15.  Traffic  fatalities  in  the  metropoHs  average  sixty  a  month. 
The  majority  of  these  are  due  to  the  fact  that  people  are  careless 
about  crossing'  streets  midway  between  street  corners.  There  are 
also  of  course  many  careless  and  incompetent  drivers.  We  shall 
assume  that  a  committee  of  one  hundred  prominent  citizens  is 
organizing  to  enter  upon  an  aggressive  campaign  for  the  purpose 

370 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


of  educating  people  of  all  classes  in  greater  caution,  and  consequently 
to  reduce  this  high  fatality  rate.  Prepare  the  first  letter  of  the 
Committee  of  One  Hundred  to  be  sent  to  school  principals,  to  be 
read  in  school  assemblies. 

16.  At  least  three  particular  lines  of  employment  need  recruit- 
ing as  a  result  of  present-day  readjustment — teaching,  retail 
salesmanship,  civil  service  clerical  work.  This  is  in  large 
measure  due  to  the  fact  that  remuneration  in  these  lines  has 
by  no  means  kept  pace  with  the  increased  cost  of  living  and 
with  the  increased  remuneration  in  other  occupations.  But 
these  pursuits  have  compensations  peculiar  to  themselves  that 
are  altogether  incalculable  in  terms  of  mere  dollars  and  cents. 
First  of  all  there  needs  to  be  an  enlightened  public  attitude 
regarding  them.  Then  these  peculiar  compensations  need  to  be 
featured  to  the  young  people  who  are  on  the  threshold  of  business, 
industrial,  and  professional  life.  Write  a  strong  letter  to  be  sent 
to  the  graduates  of  high  and  business  schools,  urging  them  to 
consider  well  the  special  opportunities  of  one  of  these  three  lines  of 
occupation. 

17.  You  are  a  manufacturer,  let  us  say,  of  cards,  calendars,  and 
seasonal  novelties.  You  make  a  specialty  of  catering  to  large 
firms,  and  you  have  special  and  unique  features  of  service  that 
enable  you  to  make  very  attractive  offers.  You  have,  for  instance, 
a  force  of  trained  men  and  women  who  study  your  customer  and 
his  business  thoroly,  recommend  definitely  to  and  for  him,  and  in 
this  way  make  it  possible  for  you  to  individualize  every  calendar 
or  box  or  insert  that  you  put  out.  You  have  also  a  corps  of  trained 
illustrators  and  photographers,  a  department  dealing  only  with 
the  screen,  another  that  specializes  in  stationery,  and  so  forth. 
You  are,  in  short,  linking  up  the  manufacture  of  novelties  with  a 
thorogoing  novelty  advertising  service.  You  have  but  one  com- 
petitor in  your  field,  and  he  is  in  Chicago.  (1)  Write  a  letter, 
selling  your  commodity  and  your  service,  to  be  sent  to  dealers  just 
prior  to  the  arrival  of  your  road  salesmen.  (2)  Write  a  letter  to 
be  sent  to  large  department  shops,  offering  to  make  a  special  study 
of  their  holiday  trade  with  a  view  to  supplying  them  with  appropriate 
novelties. 

18.  We  shall  assume  that  a  new  advertising  agency  with  which 
you  are  closely  connected  is  going  to  specialize  in  certain  lines  of 


371 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


advertising.  It  has  unusual  facilities  for  furnishing  trade  aids 
along  these  lines,  and  the  personnel  of  its  force  is  second  to  none. 
It  is  prepared  to  maintain  a  large  staff  of  field  men  ;  it  controls 
important  mediums  ;  it  has  branches  in  the  principal  cities  of  the 
country.  There  is  much  opportunity  for  good  copy  in  these  and 
other  facts,  for  boosting  the  agency.  But  those  particular  lines  of 
trade  which  it  is  especially  qualified  to  handle  have  never  yet  been 
advertised  in  a  big  way.  The  chief  problem  of  the  agency  campaign, 
therefore,  is  to  show  the  leaders  in  these  lines  the  possibilities  that 
are  open  to  them  thru  increased  advertising  and  to  prevail 
upon  them  to  develop  these  possibilities.  Moreover,  there  should 
be  not  only  a  trade  interest,  but  a  general  public  interest  as  well 
to  be  awakened  ultimately.  Compose  sales  letters  to  be  sent  to 
coffee  merchants  or  to  bank  presidents  or  to  a  trucking  company, 
or  to  some  other  class  of  business  people,  explaining  what  you  are 
prepared  to  do.  Assume  that  you  are  running  an  advertising 
campaign  in  connection  with  your  sales  letter  campaign,  and  refer 
in  your  letters  to  the  advertising. 

19.  The  convention  committee  of  a  city  of  the  second  class  is 
opening  a  campaign  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  conventions  to  that 
city.  We  shall  assume  that  the  city  is  located  on  principal  traffic 
lines,  that  it  is  well  equipped  with  hotel  accommodations,  and  that 
it  is  the  center  of  large  commercial  and  industrial  plants.  The 
locality  should  also  offer  attractive  amusement  and  other  recreation 
opportunities,  and  there  should  be  a  large,  well-appointed  hall  to 
be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  national  meetings.  Still  other  special 
features  may  call  for  particular  mention  in  the  letter  that  the 
committee  is  going  to  send  to  the  secretaries  of  various  organizations 
that  meet  in  annual  convention,  such  as,  the  Fruit  Growers  Associa- 
tion, the  Better  Letters  Association,  the  Associated  Advertising 
Clubs  of  the  World,  and  the  meetings  of  sales  and  other  forces  of 
individual  firms.  Prepare  two  or  three  letters  based  upon  this 
situation,  selling  your  home  town  as  a  convention  town,  to  the 
secretaries  mentioned.  Prepare  an  insert  (see  Chapter  IX)  to 
accompany  each  letter. 

20.  Lancaster,  Pa.,  located  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  about 
80  miles  west  of  Philadelphia  and  34  miles  southwest  of  Harrisburg, 
in  the  heart  of  the  richest  agricultural  section  of  the  world,  is 
entering  upon  a  campaign  for  increased  business  and  industrial 

372 


SELLING   COMMODITY,   ETC. 


population.  It  is  a  busy  little  city  of  about  60,000.  It  has  several 
large  department  shops,  good  theaters,  excellent  schools,  trolley 
lines  radiating  in  all  directions,  and  macadamized  roads  for  motoring. 
It  is  the  home  of  the  Hamilton  Watch  plant  and  of  Franklin  and 
Marchall  College,  one  of  the  oldest  educational  institutions  in  the 
country.  Land  is  cheap.  Special  inducements  are  offered  in  the 
purchase  of  factory  sites.  Living  is  lower  in  Lancaster  than  in 
most  other  cities  of  its  size,  owing  to  its  fine  markets  and  its  home 
produce.  (1)  Write  a  letter  to  a  large  furniture  company  in  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan,  selling  Lancaster  as  an  ideal  location  for  a 
furniture  factory.  (2)  Write  a  letter  to  a  large  automobile  company 
in  Detroit,  Michigan,  selling  Lancaster  as  an  ideal  location  for  a 
branch  factor.  Prepare  an  insert  (see  Chapter  IX)  to  accompany 
each  letter. 

21.  One  hundred  prominent  ciljizens  of  the  city  of  Welldone  have 
banded  together  in  an  effort  to  reduce  the  high  cost  of  living,  thru 
cooperative  buying  and  distribution.  They  realize  of  course  that 
they  are  too  few  in  number  to  effect  a  very  marked  reduction.  Their 
first  business,  therefore,  appears  to  them  to  be  to  advertise  their 
plan  and  its  purpose  until  their  number  is  increased  to  twenty 
thousand  or  more.  When  they  get  themselves  firmly  organized 
numerically  and  financially,  they  intend  to  operate  their  own  shops 
in  the  sale  of  the  necessities  of  life  and  ultimately  to  undertake 
the  manufacture  of  certain  commodities.  The  idea  is  entirely  new 
to  the  city  of  Welldone.  It  is  an  old  and  conservatively  settled 
community.  There  are,  moreover,  many  good  shops  in  the  city, 
all  conducted  along  up-to-date  lines  and  all  apparently  deservedly 
prosperous  as  the  result  of  good  service.  There  are  tradition  and 
prejudice  and  doubt  and  more  to  be  met  in  the  copy  with  which 
the  cooperatives  open  their  campaign.  The  advertising  campaign 
has  just  started.  Large  space  in  all  the  best  papers  is  being  used. 
Follow  up  this  advertising  with  a  good  sales  letter,  selhng  the 
cooperative  idea  to  the  middle  class  population  of  the  city  ;  write 
another  to  the  wealthier  class. 

22.  As  the  manufacturer  of  a  popular  breakfast  food,  you  are  of 
course  subjected  to  strong  competition  at  the  best  of  times.  Just 
at  present  the  dealers  thruout  the  country,  let  us  say,  seem  to  be 
yielding  to  a  price-cutting  panic.  They  appeal  to  you  to  give 
them  a  better  wholesale  rate  in  order  that  they  may  meet  the 


373 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


present  price-cutting  competition  without  so  much  loss.  Unless 
you  do  this,  they  say,  you  cannot  expect  them  to  push  your  food 
as  aggressively  as  they  push  the  products  of  those  manufacturers 
who  have  already  made  the  concession  they  are  asking  you  to 
make.  They  prophesy  a  falling  off  in  the  sales  of  your  breakfast 
food,  unless  you  favor  them.  You  have  always  stood  firmly  for 
price  maintenance.  You  refuse  the  dealers'  request.  You  increase 
and  otherwise  accentuate  your  national  advertising.  You  issue 
a  firm  and  emphatic  circular  to  dealers  setting  forth  your  views  on 
the  subject  of  price  maintenance,  and  pointing  out  its  advantages 
to  their  business,  to  your  own,  and  to  business  in  general.  Most 
important  of  all,  you  send  a  strong  personal  letter  to  every  dealer 
with  whom  you  have  had  business  for  the  past  ten  years,  selling 
to  him  the  idea  of  price  maintenance.  Put  yourself  ia  the  place  of 
this  manufacturer  and  write  this  letter.  Call  attention  to  your 
increased  advertising.  Make  no  threats,  but  prophesy  that  popular 
demand  will  save  the  day  for  you,  as  it  has  done  in  many  similar 
cases  before. 


374 


CHAPTER  VII 
SELLING  CREDIT  BY  LETTER 

Were  Omar  here  today,  methinks  he'd  strum 
A  different  tune  about  that  cold  cash  sum : 

"  The  jug  is  up,  the  loaf  is  done,"  he'd  brood  ; 
"  So  get  the  credit,  trust  the  cash  to  come." 

Credit  is  a  consequence,  not  a  cause ;  the  effect  of  a 
substance,  not  a  substance  ;  't  is  the  sunshine,  not  the  sun  ; 
the  quickening  something,  call  it  what  you  will,  that  gives 
life  to  trade,  gives  being  to  the  branches,  and  moisture  to  the 
root ;  't  is  the  oil  of  the  wheel,  the  marrow  in  the  bones,  the 
blood  in  the  veins, — of  all  the  trade,  cash,  and  commerce 
in  the  world.  .  .  . 

'T  is  apparent,  even  by  its  nature,  't  is  no  way  dependent 
upon  persons,  parliaments,  or  any  particular  men  or  set  of 
men,  as  such,  in  the  world,  but  upon  their  conduct  and  just 
behavior.  Credit  was  never  chained  to  men's  names,  but  to 
their  actions  ;  not  to  families,  clans,  or  collections  of  men  ; 
no,  not  to  nations  ;  't  is  the  honor,  the  justice,  the  fair  deaUng, 
and  the  equal  conduct  of  men,  bodies  of  men,  nations,  and 
people,  that  raise  the  thing  called  credit  among  them. — 
Defoe's  An  Essay  Upon  Public  Credit. 

Credit  is  the  eternal  yea  of  commerce — the  faith,  hope,  and 
charity  of  big  business.  "  I  promise  to  pay  "  has  become  the 
litany  of  financial  creed,  and  the  great  affirmation  of  sound  man- 
to-man  relationship  in  deals  designated  by  dollars.  Upon  the 
work  done  in  the  credit  department  of  a  large  commercial  or 
industrial  institution  hinge,  therefore,  the  trust  and  confidence 
that  enable  business  machinery  to  function  with  justice  and 
precision.  This  credit  department  wants  to  know,  and  is  constantly 
being  asked : 

1.  What  a  man  is. 

2.  What  a  man  does,  has  done,  and  can  do. 

3.  What  a  man  possesses,  has  possessed,  and  is  likely  to  possess. 

This  credit  department,  in  other  words,  secures  and  furnishes 
information  as  to  the  character  and  reputation,  ability  and  capacity, 
income  and  tangible  wealth  of  men,  of  partnerships,  and  of  cor- 
porations. And  it  gathers  and  supplies  this  information  very 
largely  thru  the  medium  of  letters. 

375 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


BUSINESS   LETTER   SERVICE 

Boston  New  York  Philadelphia  Chicago 

Nineteen  Thirty 
February  Eighth 

Messrs.  Smith  and  Brownley 
381  Summer  Street 
Boston,  Mass. 

Gentlemen:  Att.  Mr.  C.  L.  Day 

The  attention  notice  in  a  business  letter  may  be  placed  at 
any  one  of  several  different  positions. 

It  may  stand  on  a  line  with  the  salutation,  as  in  this  letter. 

It  may  stand  in  the  extrenle  upper  lefthand  corner. 

It  may  stand  on  the  line  below  the  firm  name. 

It  may  stand  just  above  the  salutation,  a  line  or  two  below 
the  last  line  of  the  inside  address. 

Probably  the  first  position  is  preferable,  inasmuch  as  it  is 
the  best  advertising  position,  the  one  least  likely  to  be 
overlooked. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Amelia  Sommers 
(Mrs.  Jay  S.  Sommers) 

AS-CR~0 


376 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


The  individual  who  applies  for  a  position  and  who  encloses 
references  in  his  letter  of  application,  does  very  much  the  same 
kind  of  thing  that  the  individual  does  who  makes  application  for 
the  privilege  of  buying  goods  on  credit.  Both  are  selling  respon- 
sibility based  upon  certain  qualification.  Both  are  buying  con- 
fidence based  upon  investigation.  If  either  forgets  the  matter 
of  testimonial,  he  must  be  requested  to  furnish  it.  Here  it  is 
that  the  work  of  a  credit  department  often  begins. 

Inquiry  for  credit  reference  should  be  courteous  and  personal. 
It  should  feature  the  wisdom  and  the  reasonableness  of  such 
inquiry.  Care  should,  of  course,  be  exercised  not  to  give  offense. 
Many  people  are  acutely  sensitive  about  their  own  finances  ;  they 
resent  any  mention  of  their  own  financial  status,  and  interpret  it 
as  an  impertinent  intrusion  upon  their  private  affairs.  They  must 
be  made  to  understand  that  credit  inquiry  is  made  for  their  own 
advantage  quite  as  much  as  for  the  safety  of  the  inquirer  ;  that  the 
inquirer  is  protecting  not  only  himself,  but  also  those  who  seek 
credit  privilege. 

Inquiry  for  credit  information  based  upon  references  given 
should  also  be  courteous  and  personal.  The  business  value  and 
importance  of  frank  and  comprehensive  statements  regarding 
financial  standing  and  ability  should  be  featured  in  such  inquiry. 
Questions  should  be  formulated  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  reply  as 
easy  as  possible.  If  a  special  form  or  blank  is  used  for  the  purpose, 
it  may  advantageously  be  accompanied  with  a  polite  personal  note. 
It  frequently  happens  that  the  inquirer  wants  to  ask  or  the 
informant  wants  to  say  something  not  covered  by  the  blank. 
Caution  and  dignity  in  statement  are  always  to  be  observed  in 
matters  pertaining  to  credit  information,  and  they  can  more 
frequently  be  maintained  and  impressed  by  the  letter  that  savors 
of  personal  attention  than  by  the  mechanical  form.  The  special 
stationery  used  by  a  credit  department  for  giving  information 
usually  has  on  it  a  printed  notice  somewhat  Hke  one  of  the  following  : 
It  is  understood  that  the  information  contained  in  this  letter  is  given 
in  absolute  confidence,  and  entirely  without  prejudice  or  the  assumption 
of  responsibility  by  us  ;  or,  All  persons  are  informed  that  any  statement 
on  the  part  of  this  bank,  or  any  of  its  officers,  as  to  the  responsibility  or 
standing  of  any  person,  firm  or  corporation,  or  as  to  the  value  of  any 
securities,  is  a  mere  matter  of  opinion,  and  given  as  such,  and  solely  as 

377 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


a  matter  of  courtesy,  and  for  which  no  responsibility,  in  any  way,  is 
to  attach  to  this  bank  or  any  of  its  officers. 

After  references  have  been  followed  up  and  information  has  been 
received  from  them,  the  work  of  the  credit  department  follows 
one  of  these  three  courses : 

1 .  Shall  credit  privilege  be  granted  ? 

2.  Shall  credit  privilege  be  refused  ? 

3.  Shall  credit  privilege  be  modified  ? 

If  credit  privilege  is  to  be  granted,  it  is  well  to  explain  just  what 
this  means.  The  actual  terms  of  the  credit  arrangement  should 
be  stated,  together  with  any  special  services  this  arrangement 
entitles  the  applicant  to.  Many  credit  departments  in  large  sales 
establishments  give  advice  to  customers  in  regard  to  expenditure 
and  general  purchasing.  Very  often  the  granting  of  credit  privilege 
carries  with  it  the  presentation  of  cards  or  keys  or  booklets  or  other 
novelties  for  identification  or  for  facilitating  the  placement  of  orders. 
All  of  these  special  features  should  be  explained  in  the  letter  granting 
credit  privilege.  But  do  not  congratulate  the  applicant  on  his 
good  luck  !  Do  not  overwhelm  him  with  credit  literature  and 
paraphernalia.  Do  not  follow  up  every  purchase  he  makes  with  a 
letter  of  appreciation.  Do  not  make  him  feel  that  he  has  now 
been  caught,  or  that  he  has  now  entered  upon  a  competition  in 
extravagance  ! 

If  credit  is  to  be  refused  the  situation  may  be  delicate,  and 
a  letter  of  supreme  tact  and  consideration  be  essential.  The  para- 
doxical aim  must  be  to  keep  the  applicant's  good-wiQ  and  custom, 
and  at  the  same  time  refuse  him  the  credit  privilege.  It  is  well  to 
remember  just  here  that  the  young  man  who  receives  the  lowest 
marks  on  his  college  report  card,  is  occasionally  rated  high  by  the 
world  when  he  gets  to  work  in  it.  Similarly,  the  man  to  whom 
you  must  write  today  refusing  credit,  may  in  a  short  time  become 
an  excellent  risk.  Make  him  feel  that  you  understand  this  without 
directly  telling  him  so.  Do  not  permit  him  to  feel  that  you  have 
any  doubts  about  him  and  his.  But  try  to  make  him  see,  rather, 
that  for  his  sake  as  well  as  for  your  own,  it  will  be  infinitely  better 
for  the  present  to  open  or  continue  transactions  on  a  cash  basis. 
Indicate  the  special  privileges  attaching  to  a  strictly  cash  arrange- 
ment.    Point  out,  perhaps,  that  you  may  later  be^able  to  grant 

378 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


the  privilege  he  desires.  Make  your  letter  in  all  ways  positive  and 
constructive,  not  negative  and  destructive.  Accent  the  yea  of 
cash  dealing,  rather  than  the  nay  of  credit  dealing.  Sell  to  the 
applicant  his  ability  to  pay  cash.  But  do  not  permit  this  attitude 
to  mean  the  sacrifice  of  clearness  in  meaning  or  firmness  in  decision. 

The  letter  that  is  written  in  reply  to  the  third  query  above  may 
be  made  one  of  the  great  joy  epistles  of  business  letter  negotiation. 
Your  dealings  with  a  credit  customer  may  have  been  so  pleasant 
and  profitable  in  the  past,  as  to  justify  you  in  writing  him  to  offer 
extended  and  enlarged  credit  facilities.  You  may  well  emphasize 
in  a  letter  of  this  kind  your  appreciation  of  the  credit  association 
with  him,  your  gratitude  for  his  promptness  in  making  payments, 
and  your  eagerness  to  serve  him  in  a  bigger  way,  as  the  result  of 
past  relations. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  necessary  for  you  to  revise  credit 
request  or  privilege  downward.  You  may  not  feel  justified  from 
the  information  given  or  from  your  experience  with  a  creditor  in 
granting  or  continuing  the  full  degree  of  credit  opportunity.  If 
this  be  the  case,  credit  is  to  be  refused  in  part,  and  the  tact  and 
diplomacy  required  in  a  complete  refusal  of  the  privilege  must 
be  brought  to  bear  in  your  letter.  It  may  be  that  the  privilege  is 
to  be  confined  within  certain  time  limits,  or  that  only  certain  classes 
of  purchasing  are  to  be  permitted,  or  that  orders  are  to  be  reduced 
or  directed  along  special  channels.  Whatever  be  the  revision  or 
modification,  the  creditor  or  would-be  creditor  should  have  it  made 
clear  to  him  just  why  the  privilege  is  so  limited,  just  how  the 
imposed  conditions  are  to  be  carried  out,  just  what  the  special 
advantages  are  accruing  from  the  arrangement.  The  letter  should, 
again,  be  a  sales  letter  that  will  build  good-will  and  maintain  good 
customer  relationship.  It  should  be  constructive  and  forward- 
looking.  It  should  not  open  with  :  "  We  regret  that  we  cannot  grant 
you  the  full  privilege  requested  in  your  letter  of  .  .  .  .  "  But  it 
should  open,  rather,  with  some  such  positive  note  as  this,  and  this 
should  be  the  keynote  of  the  entire  letter  theme  :  "  We  are  happy 
indeed  to  meet  your  request  favorably,  at  least  in  part." 

In  order  that  credit  information  may  be  kept  up  to  date,  credit 
departments  and  credit  agencies  periodically  renew  and  revise  the 
credit  data  in  their  files.  This  process  of  renewal  and  revision 
calls  for  letter  writing  of  a  delicate  character.     Sometimes  both 

379 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


the  original  gathering  of  credit  information  and  the  periodic 
follow-up  for  revision  are  carried  out  by  means  of  personal  inter- 
views. The  average  department  shop  in  large  cities  may  have 
from  thirty  to  fifty  credit  applications  a  day  during  the  winter 
months.  A  corps  of  interviewers  may  be  employed  for  the  purpose 
of  talking  briefly  with  the  people  referred  to  in  these  applications. 
The  interviewers  make  notes  which  are  filed  for  reference.  The 
personal  interview  in  this  connection,  as  in  others,  will  often  bring 
out  information  that  even  the  best  letter  could  not  secure.  Thru 
"  mingling  with  men  "  and  conversing  with  them  on  divers  subjects, 
a  credit  interviewer  may  very  often  pick  up  bits  of  information 
that,  while  not  closely  connected  with  the  subject  of  credit,  may 
yet  serve  to  build  in  and  fill  out  the  picture  of  an  individual  appli- 
cant. He  may,  for  instance,  quite  incidentally  gather  valuable 
facts  for  the  collection  department.  He  may  hear  of  some  one, 
not  now  a  customer  of  his  house,  who  is  a  "  good  risk,"  and 
accordingly  notify  the  manager  of  sales.  The  consequence  of  this 
cooperation  will  be  that  the  good  risk  will  receive  a  letter  from  the 
manager  of  sales,  offering  credit  privilege  and  explaining  the 
various  special  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  credit  relationship. 

But  it  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  this  cooperation  depends  entirely 
upon  the  personal  credit  interviewer.  Whether  or  not  there  be 
such  an  employee  connected  with  a  firm,  the  credit  department 
that  does  not  regard  itself  as  the  one  fruitful  source  and  inspiration 
of  coordination  and  cooperation  among  the  various  departments 
of  a  large  business  institution,  is  not  functioning  above  fifty  per 
cent  efficiency.  It  must  constantly  cooperate  with  sales,  and,  in 
turn,  force  sales  to  cooperate.  It  may  accelerate  sales  by  exercising 
a  liberal  credit  policy.  By  the  same  token  it  may  embarrass  and 
cripple  collections.  Sales  says  to  credit :  "  Be  easy  with  this 
Mr.  A,  and  he  will  place  a  large  order  with  us."  Collections  says 
to  credit :  "Go  cautiously  with  this  Mr.  A,  or  he'll  never  pay  us." 
And  credit  has  to  weigh  and  ponder,  scrutinize  and  cogitate,  until 
it  strikes  both  a  practical  and  a  philosophic  balance  between  the 
two.  The  eternal  triangle  of  movie  romance  was  never  more 
involved  and  problematical. 

It  is  because  the  credit  work  of  a  firm  has  so  many  ramifications 
and  is  subject  to  so  many  complications,  that  the  dependence  upon 
mere  forms  for  the  collection  and  dispensing  of  credit  information 


380 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


is,  to  some  extent,  passing.  There  are  now  few  standard  forms  in 
use.  But  individual  houses  devise  forms  to  meet  their  own  special 
demands,  and  financial  houses  are,  of  course,  obliged  to  use  searching 
and  elaborate  ones.  The  following  may  be  taken  as  typical  of  the 
credit  questionnaire  that  is  used  to  gather  information  about  an 
applicant  : 

1.  Length  of  your  acquaintance. 

2.  Kind  of  acquaintance  existing  between  you. 

3.  Kind  of  business  engaged  in. 

4.  Standing  in  community. 

5.  Local  credit  rating. 

6.  Special  favorable  or  unfavorable  considerations. 

7.  Remarks  on  personality,  social  activities,  and  so  forth. 

This  represents  the  minimum.  One  of  the  more  elaborate  forms, 
required  by  a  large  banking  institution,  for  instance,  is  reproduced 
on  pages  392  and  393. 

Any  form  of  this  sort,  however  well-planned  and  however  com- 
prehensive it  may  be,  is  necessarily  impersonal  and  perfunctory, 
and  certainly  not  calculated  to  inspire  much  beyond  a  merely 
routine  response.  It  is  the  more  wholesome  custom  of  business 
today  to  make  credit  inquiry  and  credit  information  matters  of 
personalized  correspondence.  The  old  style  of  credit  correspondence 
was  stilted  and  stereotyped.  It  radiated  guardedness,  conserva- 
tism, suspicion.  It  intimated  that  any  such  thing  as  the  personal 
element  in  a  communication  pertaining  to  credit  was  risky,  not  to 
say  hazardous. 

But  this  attitude  has  changed — ^is  changing — ^rapidly.  Every 
credit  letter  is  now  regarded  as  in  some  sense  a  sales  letter.  The 
credit  letter  that  says  nay,  must  still  aim  to  sell  good-will  and 
continued  custom.  The  credit  letter  that  says  yea,  must  build 
upon  this  affirmative  for  more  expansive  business  relationships. 
The  credit  letter  that  imposes  conditions  and  limitations,  must 
market  its  motives  agreeably  by  means  of  a  tactful  and  considerate 
handling  of  the  dehcate  situation. 

The  modern  credit  letter  refuses  to  judge  men  by  their  defects 
alone,  or  by  their  merits  alone.  It  judges  them  by  both — and 
more.  We  sometimes  hear  that  it  takes  but  two  to  make  a  bargain. 
This  is  probably  one  reason  why  we  have  so  many  bad  bargains. 

381 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


But  it  takes  more  than  two  to  tell  the  truth — the  credit  truth — 
which  does  not  have  to  be  simply  the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but 
the  truth,  but  sometimes  considerably  more  than  the  truth.  This 
means  that  the  financial  records  of  A  and  B  being  as  nearly  alike 
as  such  records  can  possibly  be,  credit  no  longer  says  the  same 
things  about  A,  whose  character  reeks  with  social  and  personal 
hypocrisy,  that  it  says  about  B,  who  is  recognized  as  a  man  thru 
and  thru.  Franklin's  Poor  Richard  long  ago  proved  that  character, 
too,  makes  for  credit: 

How     Poor     Richard 
Eftablifhed  His  Credit 

In  order  to  /ecure  my  credit  and  character  as  a  trade/man,  I  took  care  not 
only  to  be  in  reality  indu/trious  and  /rugal,  but  to  avoid  all  appearances 
to  the  contrary.  I  dre/t  plainly  ;  I  was  /een  at  no  places  of  idle  diver/ion  ; 
I  never  went  out  fi/hing  or  /hooting  ;  a  book  indeed  /ometimes  debauched 
me  from  my  work,  but  that  was  /eldom,  /nug,  and  gave  no  /candal  ;  and, 
to  /how  that  I  was  not  above  my  bu/ine/s,  I  /ometimes  brought  home  the 
paper  I  purcha/'d  at  the  /tores  thro'  the  /treets  on  a  wheelbarrow.  Thus 
being  e/teem'd  an  indu/trious,  thriving  young  man,  and  paying  duly  for 
what  I  bought,  the  merchants  who  imported /tationery /olicited  my  cu/tom  ; 
others  propo/ed  /upplying  me  with  books,  and  I  went  on  /wimmingly. 

Lest  the  foregoing  lend  itself  to  some  misinterpretation,  it  should 
be  digested  along  with  this  modifying  caution  :  Letters  of  credit 
information  call  for  greater  caution  and  discretion  and  more  astute 
judgment  than  letters  of  any  other  type.  They  demand  mature 
experience  and  unusual  skill  in  the  practice  of  business  letter 
writing,  for  while  they  must  be  courteous  and  considerate  in  tone, 
they  must  at  the  same  time  be  frank  and  fearless  in  attitude.  Just 
in  so  far  as  they  are  weak  in  the  latter  or  insincere  in  the  former, 
will  the  business  to  which  they  are  basic  be  retarded  or  negatived. 
Altho  such  letters  are,  both  by  written  and  unwritten  law,  treated 
as  confidential  communications,  no  risks  should  be  taken  by  way 
of  loose  or  unguarded  statement.  There  are  serious  penalties 
attaching  to  unfounded  and  indiscreet  statements  in  credit  letters. 
It  is  easy  to  be  genuine  and  truthful  and  responsible  in  expression, 
without  laying  one's  self  open  to  libel.  Inasmuch  as  credit  letters 
have  to  do  with  some  of  the  most  intimate  elements  of  human 
character  and  experience,  justice  may  well  be  tempered  with 
rational,  if  not  with  emotional,  mercy  in  formulating  their  tone  and 

382 


SELLING   CREDIT  BY  LETTER 


content.  A  credit  letter  does  not  have  to  breathe  the  atmosphere 
of  verhoten,  in  order  to  be  safe  and  guarded  and  conservative. 
It  does  not  have  to  be  offensive  and  damaging  in  order  to  be 
defensive  and  protective.  It  may  be  honest  and  expHcit  and 
accurate  without  being  sanguine  and  roseate  on  the  one  hand,  or 
apologetic  and  destructive  on  the  other.  It  may  tell  the  unkind 
truth  without  giving  affront,  constructively.  It  may  tell  the  most 
favorable  and  plausible  facts  without  waxing  enthusiastic. 

The  composition  of  credit  letters  is  calculated  to  put  any 
experienced  letter  writer  on  his  mettle.  While  the  credit  field 
is  more  or  less  limited  in  subject,  it  offers  opportunity  for  wide- 
range  play  of  method  and  initiative.  Perhaps  in  no  other  single 
department  of  letter  composition  have  there  been  such  revolutionary 
changes  in  form  and  content  as  in  the  department  of  credit  letters. 
In  no  other  department  of  business  letter  writing,  certainly,  can 
the  business  letter  writer  put  his  ability  and  his  judgment  to 
more  profitable  and  stimulating  educative  tests.  The  credit  depart- 
ment of  the  average  business  house  is  as  rich  in  problems  as  it  is 
severe  and  exacting  in  the  logic  and  accuracy  and  challenge  of 
their  solution. 


A  haberdasher  in  a  small  college  town  had  experienced  much 
difficulty  in  collecting  from  the  students.  They  patronized  his 
shop  in  large  numbers  partly  as  the  result  of  his  irresistible  adver- 
tising copy,  and  partly  also  because  of  his  liberal  credit  policy. 
As  to  the  latter,  however,  he  decided  one  September  that  the  time 
had  come  when  he  would  have  to  resort  to  more  thorogoing  methods 
of  investigation  before  granting  the  pay-by- the- term  privilege.  His 
patience  was  exhausted ;  the  students  had  imposed  upon  him. 
He  required,  therefore,  that  all  students  who  desired  to  buy  on 
credit,  give  him  three  references.  To  each  of  these  references  he 
sent  a  most  unusual  credit  questionnaire.  It  ran  somewhat  as 
follows : 

"  Doc  "  Bosworth,  quarterback  on  the  team  this  fall,  asks  me 
to  extend  him  credit  on  haberdashery,  and  refers  me  to  you.  He 
says  you  know  him  and  will  vouch  for  him.  Well  and  good.  Will 
you  please  write  yes  or  no  after  each  question  below  ?  By  so 
doing  you  will  do  him  a  favor,  me  an  honor,  and  help  to  make 
the  world  safe  for  credit.     I  thank  you. 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


1.  Is  he  this  sort  of  chap 


2.  Is  he  addicted  to  this  ?. 


3.  Does  he  hobnob  thusly  ? 


4.  Is  he  disposed  toward  this  ?. 


5.  Is  he  a  nicotinist  ? 


"6.  Is  he  a  specialist  in  chubby  zeros  ? 


7.  Is  he  a  "  good  fellow  " 


8.  Is  he  this  sort  of  addict  ? , 


9.  Is  he  a  "  goody-goody  " 


10.  Did  he  ever  do  this  to  you  ? 


11.  Can  you  pretty  nearly  guarantee  that  he'll  do  this 
to  me  ? 


12.  Would  you  do  this  for  him  ?. 


Picture   of  college 

boy  lolling  in  easy 

chair,  smoking,  teet 

on  table. 


Picture  of  scene  in 
dance  hall.  College 
boys  and  girls  danc- 
ing late  at  night. 


Picture  of  a  crowd 
of    roysterers     re- 
turning   home    in 
early  morning. 


Picture  of  crowd  of 

college  boys  around 

card  table. 


Picture  of  hundreds 

of  cigarettes   with 

face  of  college  boy 

smiling  thru. 


PictiuB  of  college 
boy's  report  card 
covered  with  reros. 


Picture  of  college 
boy  in  a  restaurant 
treating  the  crowd. 


Picture   of   college 

boy,      with      girl. 

sitting     in    movie 

audience. 


Picture  of  be-spec- 

tacled  college  boy 

'*  grinding  "     over 

books. 


Picture   of  college 

boy  paying  money 

to   an  elder. 


Picture   of  college 

boy  paying  bill  at 

counter  of 

haberdashery. 


Picture    of    elder 

lending  college  boy 

money. 


Anything  more  that  you  may  care  to  add,  either  by  way  of 
phraseology  or  illustration,  in  exposition  of  this  perennial  miracle — 
the  college  boy — will  be  received  gratefully  and  treated  confidentially. 


384 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


This  monstrosity  did  its  work.  What  is  more,  it  received  the 
commendation  of  the  college  president.  And  it  served  as  a  general 
trade  tonic  in  the  college  town  ;  other  tradesmen  benefited  to  a 
degree  as  the  result  of  the  haberdasher's  ingenuity.  A  sense  of 
humor,  in  whatever  freakish  guise,  may  sometimes  save  the  day 
for  even  so  serious  business  as  credit.  But  this  is  not  to  say  that 
the  above  questionnaire,  or  one  anything  like  it,  is  generally 
recommended. 


Daniel  Defoe,  in  The  Complete  English  Tradesman,  enunciates 
the  following  five  rules  for  creditors.  It  may  be  that  some  long- 
suffering  tradesman  somewhere  today  may  welcome  their  repro- 
duction here,  for  meditation  and,  perhaps,  revision  down  to  date. 
It  may  be  that  they  are  sufficiently  modern  in  tone  and  sane  in 
philosophy  to  justify  placement  here  regardless  of  special  application. 


Five  Rules  for  Creditors 

"...  It  is  an  unhappy  truth  with  many  trade/men,  that  mi/fortune 
/eldom  comes  alone.  The  ca/e  is  often  derived  from  this  original,  that 
a  ra/h,  pay/ionate  creditor  not  only  falls  upon  him,  but  does  it  perhaps  with 
/pleen  and  pay/ion  ;  and  by  this  means  expoyes  the  unhappy  debtor  to  the 
common  talk  of  the  place,  brings  other  demands  upon  him,  one  in  the  neck 
of  another,  till  the  man,  not  able  to  /tand  a  ytorm,  though  he  might  have 
ytood  againyt  a  blayt  or  two,  is  overwhelmed  at  once. 

"  It  is  a  terrible  article  to  a  poor  tradeyman,  when  he  falls  into  the  hands 
of  a  creditor  of  this  litigious  quarreiyome  temper  ;  he  is  yure  to  find  no 
mercy,  no  good  uyage,  no  civility  from  him  ;  and  at  the  yame  time  he  hurts 
his  own  intereyt  ;  for  it  is  more  than  probable,  that,  with  a  little  patience, 
he  might  have  been  paid  all  his  debt, 

"  Let  me  therefore  repeat  my  advice  to  the  creditor,  for  his  own  yake, 
if  not  for  his  debtor's  yake. 

"1.  To  court  no  trade  quarrels  ;  to  go  to  law  with  nobody,  though  for 
his  juyt  due,  if  it  may  be  obtained  without  it.  What  reayonable  man  will 
yeek  his  right  by  violent  and  rough  means,  that  may  obtain  it  by  yoft  and 
ymooth  methods  ? 

"  2.  To  try  all  the  methods  of  gentleneys  and  patience,  which  a  forbearing 
temper  can  dictate,  or  which  prudence,  and  the  yafety  of  his  debt,  will  allow, 
before  he  proceed  to  rigour  and  proyecution. 

"3.  If  he  is  forced  to  yuch  proyecution  of  right  as  the  law  directs,  yet 
to  act  in  it  yo  as  may  teytify  the  reluctance  of  his  mind  that  he  is  forced  to 
act  as  he  does  ;  and  that  nothing  of  heat  or  pay/ion  has  moved  him  to  it, 
but  the  mere  abyolutely  vecejfaxy  care  of  hia  intereyt  and  family. 

385 

25— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


"  4.  To  proceed  with  all  due  caution  for  the  reputation  of  his  debtor, 
without  expo/ing  him  where  it  may  be  avoided,  without  putting  him  to 
needle/s  and  extravagant  expen/es,  and,  if  po/yible,  without  leaving  him 
to  the  cruelty  and  exacting  violence  of  bailiffs  and  attorneys. 

"5.  In  a  word,  to  be  always  ready  to  put  an  end  to  /uch  pro/ecutions 
by  arbitrations  where  the  nature  of  the  thing  will  allow  them  ;  and  upon 
moderate  terms  where  they  will  not  ;  rather  abating,  than  rigorou/ly  exacting, 
the  utmo/t  of  his  demands." 


A  credit  address  form. 
Report  No Date 19.. 


Name 


Change  Address   From. 


To., 


Changed  on  Ledger  

Authorized 


Changed  on  Mailing  List 

386 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


A  form  request  far  credit  information,  used  by  a  large 
department  shop. 


In  making  application  for  a  charge  account,   we  have  been 
referred  to  you 


by 

of 


We  shall  appreciate  and  consider  confidential  any  information 
that  you  may  furnish  us  concerning  the  financial  responsibility  of 
the  applicant. 

Very  truly  yours. 
Please  Answer  Here 

Gentlemen  : 


\ 


387 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Department  shop  form  used  to  notify  bookkeepers  that 
account  has  been  opened. 

19 

Name 

Residence 

Business  Address 

Limit  $ 


Department  shop  form  to  be  filled  out  by  the  collection 
department  for  the  credit  department. 


Date. 


Name 

Address - 

House  or  order  only. 
C.  O.  D.— Failed. 

Too  slow. 

By  request. 

Dispute. 

Close  Account. — Owes  and  slow. 

Returns  goods. 

Small  and  pays  on  account. 

Death. 

Revise  when  buys. 
Have  understanding  before  charging. 
Stop  and  revise. 
Reopen  account  by  request. 

Keep  to  terms.  / 


388 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


Department  shop  form  to  he  filled  out  by  the  bookkeepers, 
notifying  that  the  account  limit  has  been  reached. 


LIMIT  NOTICE 


Date. 


Name, 


Address.. 


Amount  of  Limit. Amount  of  Account. 

PURCHASES    BY   MONTH 
MAKING   UP   PRESENT    INDEBTEDNESS 

Jan May. Sept 

Feb _ June Oct 

March July Nov. 

April Aug Dec 


LAST   PAYMENT 
Date Am't..... 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 

Form  for  use  for  personal  credit  interviewer. 

REPORT 

ON 
APPLICATION    FOR  ACCOUNT 


Date 19 


Name 


Address. 


Business  Address.. 


refers  to 


REPORT 


390 


SELLING  CREDIT  BY  LETTER 


Department  shop  credit  application. 

APPLICATION   FOR   ACCOUNT 

Date 19 


Ratings Limit. 

Report  No. 


please  open  an  account  on  your  books  as  follows  '. 

Name 

Address  

Business 

Address  

now  have  accounts  as  follows  : 


References 


I  OWN  real  estate  valued  at  $ AS  follows: 


Encumbrances 


I    MAKE   THE   ABOVE   STATEMENT    FOR   THE    PURPOSE   OF   OBTAINING 
credit    on    YOUR    TERMS,    WHICH    I    UNDERSTAND    TO    BE    MONTHLY 

SETTLEMENTS. 

Signature 


APPROVED 
CUSTOMER    NOTIFIED 

391 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  elaborate  questionnaire  used  by  the 
credit  department  of  a  large  bank. 


Corporate  Name i. , 

Businesi Location 

Rranchrs   


For  the  purpose  of  procuring  and  maintaining  credit  from  you,  direct  or  otherwise,  we  herewith  iubmif  the  following  true 
and  accurate  »lalement  of  our  assets  and  liabilities  and  income  account,  and  so  long,  and  until,  we  give  you  written  notice  of  any 
change  with  respect  to  such  assets,  liabilities  or  income  account,  you  may  consider  that  our  credit  position  as  indicated  by  such 
statement  conMnues  unimpaired  and  that  there  has  been  no  change  therein  prejudicially  to  affect  such  statement  as  the  basis  of 
any  such  credit,  and.  further,  upon  any  such  notice  that  the  only  change  is  as  stated  therein 

In  consideration  of  the  granting  or  continuing  of  such  credit  we  agree  that  should  we  make  a  bill  of  sale,  a  mortgage  or 
other  transfer  of  a  considerable  portion  of  our  properly,  without  due  notice  to  you.  or  should  any  attachment  issue  against  us  or 
our  property,  or  should  we  make  an  assignment  for  the  benefit  of  our  creditors,  or  should  a  petition  in  bankruptcy  be  filed  by  or 
against  us.  then  and  in  any  such  Instance  all  and  every  claim  vou  have  against  us  shall,  at  your  option  become  immediately  due 
>nd  payable 


Financial  Condition  on 
ASSETS 

day  of 19 

LIABILITIES 

Cash 

Other  Acceptances 

Due  from  controlled  or  allied  concerns 

1 
1 

Merchandise 

Kotcs  Sold  Through  Brokers 

Notes  Payable  to  Others 

Raw    Material 

Other  Current  Debts  (Itemize) 

Bonded  Debt— When  Due 

, 

Real  Fslate  (Full  Value— Mortgage 

... 

Undivided   Profits    

. 

llraoital— Preferred     

Common    

~ 

_ 

Total 

i 

Total 

Have  you  had  any  serious  losses  through  bad  debts  or  otherwise  between  the  date  of  the  above  inventory  and  the  prejenl 


Is  condition  today  fully  as  good  as  set  forth  by  the  ab 

ove  figures'    

Cost  of  Material  or   Merchandise  Consumed 

Gross  Profit    

Net    Profit    •. 

Common 



Amount  Carried  to  Surplus    

1 

.... 

1 

OVER 

392 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


The  reverse  of  the  blank  on  the  previous  page. 


CONTINGENT  LIABILITY:    Give  detiiU  of  contingtnt  liability  of  any  kind  or  nature,  as  endorser  or  guarantor,  as  accom- 
modation endorser  or  for  NoteJ,  Accounts  Receivable  or  Acceptances  discounted  or  sold , -. 


Insurance  carried  on   Merchandise  $ On  Plant.  Building  and  Machinery  $ 

Life  Insurance  'or  the  benefit  of  Company  $  

Hare  any  of  the  accounts,  notes  receivable  or  acceptances  in  the  statement  made  above  been  sold,  assigned  or  pledged? 


Have  any  of  the  other  assets  been  pledged  or  assigned  as  collateral   for  any   liabilities' 


State  basis  on  which  inventory  is  taken ;  (cost  or  market  value) 

Has  the  company  an  interest  in  any  other  concern'     (Name  afiiliations    and    location). 


Are  there  any  suits  or  judgments  pending  against  the  company'  

Give  names  of  endorsers  on  notes  used  in  the  financing  of  this  business   

Endorser's  net  worth  outside  of  interest  in  this  business  $ 

Do  the  endorsers  guarantee  or  endorse  the  paper  of  other  concerns  or  individuals'     (Give  details). 


Are  your  books  audited  by  a  Certified  Public  Accountant' 

Give  date  of  last  Audit  : Made   by 

Company  incorporated  under  Laws  of Date 

Does  the  Company  place  paper  through  any  brokers  (if  so.  whom)    


Give  following  details  concerning  other  banking 


BANK  ACCOUNTS 

LINES   GRANTED 

Under   discount   at   present   time' 

OFFICERS 

President 

Vice-President 

Treasurer 

Secretary 

(Please  sign  Company's  Name  htre). 


Br. 


Dttc  sipied 

393 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Form  used  by  the  credit  department  of  a  large  hank  for  the 
purpose  of  summarizing  credit  information. 


Name 

Business 

Address                                                                       Account  opened 

ASSETS 

- 

Cash 

Bills  Recolvable 

Merchandise 

Sundries 

Total  Ouick  Assets 

Rval  EHlate 

Machinery  and  Flxt. 

1 

Total 

LIABILITIES 

Bilb  Payable  Bankn 

Bills  I'nvable  Mdse. 

Deposits  by  Others 

■IPotal  Quick  LiabiliUea 

.         1 

1                          1 

Bonds 

MorlKaBe  Debt 

Reserves 

Surplus 

Undivided  Profits 

Tot«l 

Total  Quick  Assets 

Total  Quick  Liabilities 

txcost  Quick   Assets  aitr  Debt. 

% 

1                          1 

Sales 

Net  Wofita 

Dividends 

Tangible  Net  Worth 

Chgd.  ti>  Bad  Debts 

ChKd.  to  Depreciation 

Added  to  Surplus 

Dun 

BraOstree: 

1 

Received 

1 

394 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


Bank  form  for  requesting   credit 
information. 


We  are  at  present  revising  our  information 
in  regard  to  various  customers,  and,  noting 
the  absence  of  any  late  detailed  information 
as  to  your  company,  are  taking  the  liberty 
of  soliciting  such  data  as  you  may  be  in 
position  to  give  us. 

The  enclosed  forms  have  been  prepared  to 
assist  in  compiling  data,  and  we  trust  that 
you  will  feel  no  hesitancy  in  furnishing  us 
the  information  called  for  in  them.  You  will 
note  that  a  copy  of  your  latest  financial 
statement  is  among  the  important  items 
listed. 

Be  assured  that  any  data  given  us  will  be 
treated  with  the  greatest  confidence  and 
discretion. 


Another  hank  form  for  requesting 

credit  information. 


Re 


We  have  occasion  to  make  inquiry 
regarding  the  st?lnding  of  the  above- 
named. 

Will  you  please  let  us  know  what  your 
experience  has  been  in  your  dealings 
with  him  ? 

Anything  that  you  ma^^  be  able  to  tell 
us  as  to  his  financial  responsibility  and 
management  will  be  appreciated  by 
us.  And  of  course  your  information 
will  be  kept  confidential. 


395 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A    specific,  personal  credit  inquiry 
that  does  not  smack  of  form  machinery. 


Mr.  Charles  Brown  on  opening  an 
account  with  us  gives  us  your  name 
as  referee. 

Will  you  please  inform  us  how  long 
you  have  known  him,  whether  you 
have  found  him  prompt  and  regular 
in  his  payments,  and  whether  you 
consider  him  worthy  of  a  running 
credit  for   $2500.  ? 

The  information  will  of  course  be 
kept  strictly  confidential. 

Thank  you. 


A  reply  to  the  foregoing  credit 
inquiry,  that  is  worthy  in  both 
directness  and  tone. 


We  have  had  business  relations  with 
Mr.  Brown  for  a  very  long  time.  He 
has  always  paid  his  ^counts  regularly 
and  promptly,  and  we  should  not 
hesitate  at  all  to  extend  him  credit 
for  the  amount  you  mention. 

We  feel  free  to  say  that  you  will  find 
your  dealings  with  him  not  only 
entirely  satisfactory  financially,  but 
also  agreeable  personally. 

It  is  a  privilege  to  render  this  little 
service  to  you  and  to  him. 


396 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


Sincere  regret  at  not  being  able  to 
recommend  credit  privilege. 


We  regret  that  we  cannot  give  as  favorable 
report  as  we  should  like  to  give. 

We  have  for  many  years  done  business 
with  the  gentleman  referred  to  in  your 
query  of  May  20.  Of  late,  however, 
payments  have  been  quite  irregularly 
made,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion 
we  have  had  to  press  for  them. 

We  should  therefore  hesitate  to  extend 
credit  for  the  amount  mentioned. 

This  information  is  given  in  strictest 
confidence,  and  entirely  without  prejudice 
or  the  assumption  of  responsibility  by  us. 

We  are  sorry. 


Tho  business  is  business,  it  may  still 
be  conducted  pleasantly  and  politely. 


Thank  you  for  your  order. 

The  goods  are  being  prepared  for  immediate 
delivery  and  will  be  ready  for  shipment 
tomorrow. 

This,  I  believe,  is  the  first  order  that  you 
have  favored  us  with,  and  I  must  ask  you 
therefore  to  provide  names  of  referees,  or 
cash,  against  pro  forma  invoice.  The 
invoice  form  is  enclosed,  properly  made  out. 

This,  you  understand,  is  merely  a  regular 
procedure  f©r  your  own  safety  as  well  as 
our  satisfaction.  It  is  basic  to  all  respon- 
sible and  pleasant  financial  relationships, 
such  as  ours  is  certain  to  be. 


397 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  ready  and  congenial  compliance 
with  the  foregoing  request. 


I  am  glad  to  give  you  the  names  of  two 
firms  as  referees  to  whom  you  may  address 
the  usual  inquiries  regarding  my  status  : 

(1)  Mr.  James  Lord 

21  Callowhill  Street 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania 

(2)  The  John  Williams  Company 
45  Euclid  Avenue 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

I  have  done  business  with  both  of  these 
firms  for  many  years  and  I  am  sure  they 
will  tell  you  that  they  know  me  favorably. 

I  regret  my  oversight  in  not  including 
names  of  referees  in  my  previous  letter 
to  you. 


There's  much  in  assuming  that  every- 
thing is  all  right.      Ask  Polly  anna  ! 


Mr. 


is  building  a  bungalow  in  this 


city  and  is  ordering  supplies  from  us  to 
the  amount  of  $4987. 

He  asks  for  special  time  extension  and 
other  financial  considerations  in  making 
settlement,  and  refers  us  to  you. 

He  has  moved  here  only  recently,  but  has 
made  a  distinctly  favorable  impression  upon 
all  of  us  who  have  had  dealings  with  him. 

We  are  sure  that  he  is  reliable  and  all  right, 
but  it  will  be  a  satisfaction  to  him  as  well 
as  to  us,  if  you  will  fill  out  the  enclosed 
questionnaire  (Case  B  482)  and  return  it 
to  us. 

Thank  you. 


398 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


Unusual,  and  doubtless  shocking  to 
the  staid  old  conservative  hank,  hut 
certainly  human  and  sincere. 


Safe,  sound,  and  answerable. 

This  is  the  unanimous  testimony  of  our 
tellers  regarding  the  subject  of  your 
inquiry — B  482. 

He  has  had  an  active  account  of  more  than 
$8000.  with  us  for  several  years )  in 
addition,  he  has  with  us  securities  of  more 
than  ten  times  this  amount. 

His  frank,  courteous,  cheery  bearing  has 
ingratiated  him  with  those  of  our  employees 
who  have  been  serving  him  for  many  years. 
It  is,  indeed,  not  too  much  to  say  that  he 
seems  like  one  of  our  own. 

And  we're  more  than  glad  to  tell  you  all 
this. 


Offering  credit  privilege. 


We  believe  that  you  will  appreciate 
the  convenience  of  a  charge  account 
with  us. 

This,  because  of  our  splendid  assort- 
ments of  smart  apparel  at  economical 
prices  for  all  members  of  the  family. 

A  charge  account  has  therefore  been 
automatically  opened  in  your  name. 
This  new  charge  privilege  will  apply 
whether  you  purchase  in  person,  by 
mail,  or  by  telephone. 

You  will  favor  us,  we  trust,  with  at 
least  a  part  of  your  patronage  ? 


399 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  follow-up  early  in  the  credit 
relationship. 


We  are  very  glad  indeed  that  you 
have  made  use  of  the  account  that 
we  had  opened  for  you. 

It  is  our  sincere  wish  that  you  may 
find  it  of  frequent  convenience  and  of 
constant  satisfaction. 


Bills  will  be  mailed  on  the  first  of 
each  month,  as  is  our  custom,  and 
they  are  of  course  due  when  rendered. 


A  later  credit  follow-up,  showing 
that  the  books  have  been  overhauled. 


Won't  you  tell  us  in  the  enclosed 
stamped  envelope  whether  it's  up 
to  us  to  make  good  ? 

According  to  our  records  it  has  been 
a  long  time  since  we  last  had  the 
pleasure  of  serving  you,  and  we're 
wondering  whether  something's 
"  gone  wrong." 

It  seems  only  fair  to  ourselves  to  add 
that,  while  maintaining  topnotch 
quality,  we  are  still  doing  our  utmost 
to  keep  prices  down.  A  normal 
trading  profit  is  all  we  ever  ask. 

We  should  like  to  hear  from  you. 


400 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


A  polite  credit  form  that  explains 
delay  and  evinces  consideration  for 
the  people  who  are  waiting. 


Your  inquiry  regarding  the  Barnes- 
Butler  Corporation  was  received  on 
March  2. 

As  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  make 
special  investigation,  our  report  will 
necessarily  be  delayed  for  a  few  days 
in  reaching  you. 

Just  as  soon  as  we  have  gathered 
complete  information,  we  shall  of 
course  communicate  with  you. 

We  hope  that  this  little  delay  will  not 
cause  you  any  inconvenience. 


Indefinite  and  reserved,  hut  more 
will  probably  follow. 


We  are  sorry  that  we  cannot  make  more 
than  a  brief  report  on  the  subject  of  your 
inquiry  of  May  27. 

But  just  as  soon  as  we  are  able  to  secure 
further  information,  we  shall  send  it  to  you. 
This  is  all  we  can  give  you  at  present : 

The  company  was  organized  in  1918.  It 
has  a  declared  capital  of  $80,000.  and  is 
regarded  safe  for  moderate  credit.  Its  chief 
capacity  of  operation  is  that  of  agent  for 
manufacturers,  and  its  principal  field  of 
activity  is  the  middle  west. 

It  was  recently  reported  that  this  company 
had  bought  out  the  Edwards  and  Marshall 
Corporation,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
established  firms  in  Chicago.  But  this 
report  we  have  not  yet  had  conlirpied. 

However,  await  further  information  from 
us,  unless  by  doing  so  you  are  likely  to 
involve  yourself  in  risk,  or  suffer  incon- 
venience. We  shall  try  to  write  you  again 
within  the  week. 

401 


26— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  letter  that  says  no  kindly,  and 
offers  a  choice  of  two  ways  out  of 
the  difficulty. 


Thank  you  for  your  order  of  April  12. 

It  was  ready  for  shipment  on  April  13,  and  would  have 
been  in  your  hands  by  this  time  had  not  Mr.  Argon, 
of  our  collection  department,  interrupted  with  a 
report  on  the  irregularity  and  the  insufficiency  of  your 
payments  for  the  past  six  months. 

We  are  sorry  for  this  little  delay,  and  we  sincerely 
hope  that  you  will  be  able  to  settle  your  obligations  to 
the  collection  department  immediately  on  receipt  of 
this  letter.  We  shall  inform  our  delivery  clerks  to 
hold  your  boxes  on  the  very  edge  of  the  outgoing 
platform,  so  that  they  may  be  ready  for  speedy 
handhng  just  as  soon  as  we  give  the  word  forward. 

This  is  exactly  the  season,  as  you  well  enough  know, 
when  you  should  be  able  to  make  unusually  rapid 
sales  of  the  trimmings.  Let  us  urge  you,  therefore,  in 
your  own  interests  to  satisfy  the  collection  depart- 
ment at  once.  Only  by  so  doing  can  you  avail  your- 
self of  the  height-of-the-season  trade  that  will 
undoubtedly  come  to  you  as  a  result  of  the  tre- 
mendously fine  reputation  you  have  built  for  yourself 
in  your  community. 

If  you  like,  we  shall  send  this  present  shipment  to  you 
on  receipt  of  your  check  in  full  payment  in  advance, 
and  you  can  then  deal  with  Mr.  Argon  directly  in 
regard  to  past  accounts.  But  we  again  urge  you  to 
clear  up  your  obHgations  straightaway,  in  order  that 
we  may  resume  the  cordial  and  pleasant  relationship 
which  we  have  enjoyed  for  the  past  five  years,  and 
which  has  been  mutually  beneficial. 


P.S.  For  your  convenience,  and  at  Mr.  Argon's 
suggestion,,  we  are  enclosing  a  check  properly  made 
out  and  awaiting  your  signature.  This  to  be  sent  in 
the  enclosed  stamped  envelope  to  the  collection 
department.  But  if  you  prefer  the  arrangement 
suggested  in  the  last  paragraph  above,  it  is  all  the 
same  to  us. 


402 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


A  letter  that  says  no  in  an 
affirmative  tone. 


Thank  you  for  expressing  a  desire  to  open  an  account 
with  us. 

We  have  investigated  the  references  that  you  thought- 
fully enclosed  in  your  application.  But  three  out  of 
the  four  find  themselves  unable  to  furnish  us  a  state- 
ment of  your  financial  responsibiHty  that  measures 
up  to  the  requirements  of  our  policy. 

This  we  regret  very  much  indeed,  for  it  precludes 
the  possibiUty  of  our  establishing  at  present  the  credit 
relationship  with  you  that  we  should  like  to  establish. 
We  hope,  ho\vrever,  that  in  the  very  near  future  you 
may  be  able  to  increase  your  capitalization,  or  other- 
wise strengthen  your  standing  to  such  a  degree,  that 
the  credit  facilities  of  our  house  may  be  placed  at 
your  service. 

In  the  meantime,  may  we  call  your  attention  to  our 
unusual  cash  arrangements  ?  We  extend  extremely 
liberal  discounts,  and  we  maintain  selected  lists  of  cash 
customers  who  are  entitled  to  exceptionally  generous 
service  considerations  in  accordance  A^dth  the  amount 
and  the  frequency  of  purchases.  Indeed,  many  of  our 
customers  prefer  to  deal  with  us  on  a  cash  basis  just 
because  of  the  outstanding  features  of  our  cash  terms. 

If  you  care  to  know  more  about  these,  we  shall  be 
pleased  to  have  you  use  the  enclosed  stamped 
envelope.  Or,  if  you  prefer,  a  member  of  our  staff 
will  call,  at  your  convenience. 


403 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  personalized,  business-building 
YES,  in  reply  to  application  for 
credit  privilege. 


Thank  you  very  much  for  your  request  to 
open  an  account  with  us. 

We  have  made  inquiry  of  the  references  you 
so  kindly  furnished,  and  the  repHes  are  in 
each  case  satisfactory. 

The  account  has  therefore  been  opened  in 
your  name,  and  you  have  every  assurance 
of  our  desire  to  please  you. 

The  enclosed  card  will  explain  to  you  the 
mechanical  details  of  maintaining  a  credit 
account  at  our  shop.  You  will  note  that 
statements  are  sent  monthly  to  all  credit 
customers,  and  that  bills  are  due  when 
rendered. 

We  thank  you  for  making  this  relationship 
possible  for  us,  and  we  hope  that  you  will 
find  our  service  all  that  we  are  trying  to 
make  it  in  your  behalf.  We  are  always  open 
to  consultation  in  the  event  of  special 
requests  of  any  kind  on  the  part  of  our 
credit  customers. 


404 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY   LETTER 


A  credit  modification  that  aims  to 
go  to  the  bottom  of  the  situation. 


Thank  you  for  your  regular  spring  sales  order.  It  is  a 
pleasant  reminder  of  the  mutually  agreeable  business 
relations  that  we  have  enjoyed  with  you  for  the  past 
many  years.  It  is  just  because  of  these  pleasant 
relations  that  we  find  ourselves  embarrassed  in  being 
obliged  to  write  to  you  as  we  must  now  do. 

Our  books  show  that,  while  your  seasonal  orders  have 
been  increasing  right  along  for  the  past  three  years, 
your  payments  have  been  increasingly  delinquent, 
and  you  have  repeatedly  found  yourself  in  a  position 
requiring  us  to  make  you  time  extensions. 

We  have,  we  think  you'll  admit,  always  been  generous 
in  our  accommodation.  But  we  feel  that  now  the 
time  has  come  for  us  to  call  your  attention  to  your 
indebtedness  to  us,  and  to  tell  you,  that,  unless  you 
can  pay  us  more  promptly  and  more  regularly,  we 
shall  have  to  ask  you  to  accept  a  curtailment  of  the 
present  liberal  arrangements  you  have  had  with  us 
for  so  long  a  time. 

It  is  a  pity,  if  you  will  pardon  us,  that  you  have 
allowed  this  situation  to  arise.  We  cannot  help  feeling 
that  you  have  done  so,  more  out  of  indifference  and 
inconsideration  toward  us,  than  because  of  pressure 
in  your  own  finances.  Your  latest  rating  shows  that 
your  quick  assets  amount  to  $30,000.  and  that  your 
liabilities  are  only  about  $10,000.  Surely  this  would 
appear  to  be  a  safe  proportion,  if  ever  there  was  a  safe 
proportion  between  assets  and  liabilities.  We  have 
no  reason  whatever  to  suspect  that  you  are  anything 
but  sound  and  solvent.    Why,  then,  this  delinquency  ? 

We  shall  appreciate  having  a  frank  statement  from 
you.  In  the  meantime,  we  are  forwarding  half  the 
goods  ordered  for  your  spring  sales  campaign,  and  we 
shall  forward  the  remainder  immediately  we  hear 
satisfactorily  from  you. 

We  are  sorry. 


405 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Special  pains  have  been  taken  in 
your  behalf,  even  tho  the  subject  of 
your  inquiry  is  not  a  customer  of 
ours. 


The  following  information  regarding  Mr.  H.  M,  P., 
meager  tho  it  is,  will  nevertheless  be  of  some  service 
to  you,  we  trust : 

He  is  not  a  customer  of  ours,  and  we  have  had  but 
very  casual  relations  with  him  financially  On  one 
occasion  we  opened  three  credits  for  him  in  our 
domestic  department,  and  on  another  we  acted  as 
intermediary  in  his  behalf.  But  both  of  these  relation- 
ships were  for  specific  transactions,  and  were  practi- 
cally valueless  as  far  as  credit  experience  is  concerned. 

We  have  called  upon  a  neighboring  bank  in  your 
behalf,  however,  which  reports  as  follows  :  "  Mr. 
H.  M.  P.  has  had  a  moderate  checking  account  with 
us  for  the  past  five  years.  Recently  his  deposits  have 
taken  a  big  leap,  and  his  account  today  is  in  the 
neighborhood  of  $10,000.  His  dealings  have  always 
been  of  the  most  satisfactory  character.  But  inas- 
much as  he  has  never  requested  any  accommodation, 
neither  a  statement  of  his  affairs  nor  an  estimate  of 
his  means  is  possible." 

If  you  care  to  have  us  investigate  further,  please  let 
us  know  and  we  shall  proceed.  But  it  may  require 
a  little  more  time  than  you  indicate  in  your  letter 
you  are  prepared  to  wait. 


406 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


Implying  that  the  inquiry  was 
incomplete,  but  a  courteous  and 
obliging  reply,  nevertheless. 


The  attached  sheets  contain  the  information  you 
desire  regarding  five  of  the  BraziHan  names.  We  must 
ask  you  to  treat  this  information  with  the  strictest 
confidence. 


The  Peruvian  names  have  never  before  been  brought 
to  our  attention.  We  therefore  have  no  information 
here  in  our  offices  about  them.  But  if  you  will  kindly 
furnish  us  with  a  little  closer  information  as  to  these 
names — exact  addresses,  business  each  is  engaged  in, 
American  business  connections — we  shall  be  glad  to 
consult  our  foreign  agents  about  them  in  your  behalf. 


You  will  be  interested  to  know  that  our  South 
American  files  are  now  being  revised  and  enlarged, 
as  a  result  of  the  establishment  of  a  number  of 
branches  there.  Two  of  these  are  soon  to  be  opened 
in  Peru.  This  expansion  will  enable  us  to  supply  you 
with  a  much  more  detailed  and  wider  range  credit 
service. 


407 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Nothing  too  much  trouble,  evidently. 
A  letter  from  a  real  service  institution. 


Thank  you  for  the  privilege  of  serving  you. 

1.  Lee  and  Sandee,  of  Pekin,  China,  is  now  under 
investigation  by  our  Pekin  branch.  We  shall  write 
you  about  this  company  just  as  soon  as  all  the 
materials  that  our  branch  can  furnish,  are  received 
and  arranged  by  us. 

2.  The  Shanghai  firm  has  never  before  been  brought  to 
our  attention,  and  we  therefore  have  nothing  on  our 
files  regarding  it.  But  we  are  this  day  cabling 
our  correspondents  in  Shanghai  for  a  report,  and 
this  too  will  be  forwarded  to  you  just  as  soon  as  it 
is  received  and  arranged  by  us. 

3.  We  enclose  data  on  the  three  remaining  names 
about  which  you  inquired  in  your  letter  of 
February  10.  This  information  we  had  on  hand, 
under  date  of  renewal  as  recent  as  December  3. 
You  are  reasonably  safe,  therefore,  in  depending 
upon  it  for  the  purposes  you  indicate. 

We  are  sorry  that  we  cannot  furnish  you,  at  a  single 
writing,  with  all  the  information  you  desire,  but 
we  shall  hasten  the  follow-ups  just  as  much  as 
possible.     In  the  meantime,  let  us  serve  you  further. 


408 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


Unable  to  render  help,  and  unwill- 
ing evidently  to  go  to  any  particular 
trouble   to   render   it. 


Our  bank  has  never  had  an  account  with  the 
company  referred  to  in  your  letter  of  inquiry  of 
March  2S. 

We  have  been  unable,  moreover,  to  obtain  detailed 
data  concerning  it. 

Its  paper  has  never  been  purchased  for  our  own 
account.  Our  foreign  department  has  occasionally 
made  it  advances,  but  in  each  instance  the  advance 
was  made  against  documents  and  trust  receipts. 

It  is  reported  that  the  company  is  inclined  to  be 
slow.  Overdue  accounts  are,  we  understand,  recorded 
against  it. 

We  regret  that  we  are  unable  to  be  more  specific. 
It  is  likely  that  the  credit  agencies  will  be  able  to 
supply  you  with  a  complete  statement  regarding 
this  company. 


Credit  information  now  out  of  date, 
but  immediate  renewal  promised. 


The  company  referred  to  in  your  letter  of  April  18 
is  engaged  in  the  wholesale  drug  business. 

It  has  an  excellent  reputation,  we  are  informed, 
and  is  considered  generally  to  be  safe  and  reliable 
for  regular  business  engagements. 

Our  information,  however,  is  more  than  a  year  old. 
We  are  therefore  writing  to  our  correspondents  for 
a  report  on  the  name  as  it  stands  at  present.  Just 
as  soon  as  we  receive  a  reply  we  shall  send  you  a 
copy  of  it. 

We  thank  you  for  this  opportunity  to  serve  you, 
and  incidentally  for  bringing  to  our  attention  a 
renewal  of  information  that  should  not  have  escaped 
us  so  long. 


409 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Businesslike  and  colorless  state- 
ment, indicating  that  special  trouble 
has  been  taken  to  gather  data. 


As  to  M.B.O.  and  Company  : 

This  firm  is  not  a  customer  of  ours,  and  we  cannot 
give  you  details  of  its  financial  responsibility. 


But  from  such  inve'stigation  as  has  been  made  in 
your  behalf  regarding  the  company,  we  have  found 
it  to  be  well-established  and  well-officered. 


Two  neighboring  banking  houses  tell  us  that  the 
soundness  of  the  company  is  unquestioned  and 
that  it  has  never  been  refused  credit  for  its  require- 
ments. It  is  considered,  indeed,  a  highly  desirable 
risk  in  many  quarters.  According  to  the  latest 
ratings  in  Bradstreet,  it  stands  well  up  among 
those  at  the  top. 


Mr.  Thomas  Atkinson,  now  executive  manager 
of  the  company,  was,  up  to  three  years  ago,  head 
of  the  foreign  service  of  the  British-American 
Banking  Corporation,  and  he  has  for  many  years 
been  regarded  as  a  leader  in  finance,  especially  in 
connection  with  the  foreign  markets. 


This  information  is  of  course  extended  in  strict 
confidence.  We  hope  it  serves  your  purposes,  and 
are  sorry  that  it  cannot  be  more  authoritative. 


410 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


The  best  we  can  do,  and  you  are,  of 
course,  welcome  to  it. 


The  subject  of  your  inquiry  of  September  12, 
Mr.  Jan  Trensen,  has  had  an  account  with  this 
bank  for  four  years.  He  has  also  had  an  account 
at  our  branch  in  Amsterdam  for  about  the  same 
length  of  time. 


We  understand  that  he  is  a  young,  active,  reliable 
agent  of  considerable  means,  and  that  he  has 
many  South  American  financial  connections,  especi- 
ally in  Chile  and  Peru.  He  was  for  many  years 
(and  may  be  still)  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the 
International  Wagon-Lits  Company,  of  Brussels, 
Belgium. 


Inasmuch  as  he  has  never  requested  any  credit 
favors,  we  have  never  had  occasion  to  investigate 
his  affairs  exhaustively.  Our  Holland  agent  reports 
that  he  is  spoken  of  in  the  highest  terms  in  financial 
circles  abroad. 


His  visit  to  this  country  at  present  is  made,  we 
believe,  in  the  interests  of  the  Amsterdam  Diamond 
Company,  of  which  he  is  a  director.  This  company 
has  offices  in  New  York  City,  Chicago,  Denver,  and 
San  Francisco.  We  think  there  is  no  doubt  but 
that  you  may  safely  accommodate  him  upon  the 
terms  mentioned. 


411 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


It  is  a  good  policy  to  say  yes  or  no 
or  MAY  BE  at  the  very  outset  of  a 
credit  letter,  as  is  done  here ;  in 
other  words,  to  make  it  deductive. 


The  company  referred  to  in  your  inquiry  of  June  12, 
is  not  being  accommodated  by  us  at  present.  It  may 
be  responsible  for  the  amount  you  mention,  but  we 
are  incHned  to  advise  caution. 


We  understand  this  company  to  be  an  affiliate  of 
De  Salvo  and  Espero,  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  A  short 
time  ago  it  experienced  considerable  difficulty  with 
the  authorities  in  regard  to  misrepresentation  of 
capitalization. 

The  Chicago  manager  of  the  company  is  Mr.  James 
Espero,  son  of  one  of  the  partners  in  the  South 
American  house.  Seven  years  ago  he  was  interested 
in  the  Western  Milling  Company,  with  headquarters 
in  Denver.  This  company  failed,  we  understand, 
and  left  unpaid  obligations  running  into  the  millions. 
But  Mr.  Espero  declares  that  he  is  now  liquidating 
these  obligations  rapidly,  and  intends  to  complete 
his  payments  in  another  year. 


It  may  be  added  that  Mr.  Espero's  loyalty  has  been 
seriously  questioned,  tho  he  is  a  naturalized  citizen 
of  the  United  States. 

You  are  requested  to  treat  this  information  as  strictly 
confidential. 


412 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


A  perfectly  safe  company,  judg- 
ing from  recent  and  thorogoing 
investigation. 


The  latest  statement  of  the  T.R.J.  Company  was 
issued  May  27.  This  shows  that  the  company  is 
responsible  for  such  obligations  as  you  mention.  We 
are  inclined  to  believe  that  it  is  good  for  a  much 
greater  undertaking. 

It  has  been  engaged  for  many  years  in  the  exporting 
and  importing  business,  and  it  is  at  present  conducting 
operations  with  a  paid-in  capital  of  $2,000,000. 

The  company  opened  its  account  with  us  fifteen 
years  ago,  and  our  relations  with  it  have  continuously 
been  agreeable  and  satisfactory.  We  have  fre- 
quently accommodated  it,  very  often  in  quite  a  sub- 
stantial way,  and  have  never  had  the  slightest 
occasion  to  doubt  its  soundness  and  solvency. 

Mr.  Abner  Jones,  who  is  now  head  of  the  company, 
is  highly  regarded  in  financial  circles,  and  is  generally 
conceded  to  be  one  of  the  cleverest  and  shrewdest 
operators  in  the  field.  He  is  now  reported  to  be 
engaged  in  negotiations  looking  toward  the  absorption 
of  the  Milbank  Company  and  the  Treat  and  Bacon 
Corporation,  both  of  Denver,  and  both  concerns  of 
excellent  standing. 

The  information  that  we  are  sending  you  has  been 
gathered  as  the  result  of  a  recent  investigation  of  the 
company  that  we  were  called  upon  to  make  for 
a  Boston  firm.  You  may  rely  upon  it,  therefore,  as 
being  accurate  and  up  to  date. 

But  all  of  this  is,  naturally,  quite  confidential. 


413 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Not  prepared  to  speak  with  full 
authority,  hut  what  we  know  we  tell 
you.  Next  to  the  last  paragraph 
implies  that  the  inquirer  "  mixed 
his  issues  "  in  his  letter  to  which 
this  is  a  reply. 


As  to  the  C.B.J.  Company  : 

We  have  no  definite  knowledge  of  the  financial 
strength  of  this  company. 

It  is  engaged,  we  understand,  in  the  sale  of  railroad 
securities.  As  to  the  value  of  these,  we  are  not 
informed.  But  the  company  has  been  established 
for  some  years,  and  enjoys  an  excellent  reputation 
in  this  community. 

Up  to  one  year  ago  it  carried  a  moderate  account 
with  us,  and  we  on  two  occasions  extended  accom- 
modation. It  met  its  obligations  to  us  promptly 
and  completely. 

The  matter  mentioned  in  the  last  paragraph  of 
your  letter  of  April  12,  has  been  referred  to 
Mr.  Costello,  of  our  foreign  department.  He  will 
communicate  with  you  in  a  day  or  two. 

Sorry  we  cannot  be  more  helpful,  but  such  informa- 
tion as  we  have  given  you  above  will,  we  hope, 
serve  you  in  part  at  least. 


414 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


Personal  and  intimate  and  almost 
"  gossipy  "  ;  but  detailed  and 
elucidating. 


We  cannot  give  you  complete  information  regarding 
the  gentleman  about  whom  you  make  inquiry  in 
your  letter  of  May  15. 

But  such  information  as  we  have,  we  of  course 
give  you  in  welcome,  requesting  that  you  treat  it  as 
confidential : 

Up  to  January  21,  this  gentleman  maintained  a  sub- 
stantial account  with  us.  He  closed  on  that  date, 
we  are  told,  because  he  was  financially  embarrassed 
in  three  or  four  different  connections. 

We  frequently  made  loans  to  him,  during  the  five 
or  six  years  that  he  remained  a  depositor  of  this  bank. 
These  were  always  made  on  a  collateral  basis,  and 
were  always  punctually  liquidated.  All  of  our 
relations  with  him  were,  indeed,  pleasant  and 
satisfactory. 

What  his  business  connections  now  are,  and  what 
his  invested  capital  now  amounts  to,  we  do  not 
know.  Our  files  show  nothing  later  than  the  above 
date.    At  that  time  he  was  rated  at  $350,000. 

It  is  said  that  he  is  a  principal  in  the  Lewiston 
concern,  but  we  have  no  verification  of  this.  You 
are  quite  right,  however,  in  identifying  him  with 
the  Wakeman  affair  in  Washington. 

Sorry  we  cannot  give  you  a  "  close-up  "  on  the 
gentleman  and  his  present  status. 


415 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  little  verbose,  and  indirect, 
perhaps  ;  still,  an  informing  and 
obliging  letter. 


The  resources  of  the  gentleman  about  whom  you 
wish  information,  are  said  to  be  very  limited.  He 
is  not  considered  a  good  risk,  especially  in  transactions 
involving  large  amounts. 


He  is  at  present  connected  with  the  American 
Importing  Company  in  an  executive  capacity. 
He  is  said  to  be  somewhat  too  sanguine  in  his  attitude 
towards  affairs  in  general,  and  too  optimistic  in  his 
attitude  toward  finance  in  particular,  to  be  con- 
sidered safe  in  his  judgments  or  reliable  in  his 
promotions. 


This  information  is  given  us  by  our  St.  Louis  corre- 
spondents, to  whom  we  wrote  immediately  your 
inquiry  of  October  10  was  received.  They  ask  that 
it  be  treated  strictly  confidentially,  inasmuch  as 
the  gentleman  is  connected  with  several  social  and 
civic  associations  in  that  city. 

We  pass  their  request  along  to  you. 


416 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


Willing  to  do  everything  possible, 
tho  not  now  in  a  position  to  speak 
with  finality. 


Re  :    T.  L.  and  Company  : 

This  is  an  old,  well-established,  and  reputable  concern. 

Some  years  ago  we  did  a  considerable  amount  of 
business  with  it,  and  our  dealings  were  invariably 
all  that  could  possibly  be  desired  by  way  of  punctuality 
and  responsibility. 

At  present  we  are  not  transacting  any  business  with 
the  company,  and  are  more  or  less  out  of  touch, 
therefore,  with  its  activities.  We  are  told,  however, 
on  good  authority,  that  it  now  has  large  government 
contracts  on  hand,  as  well  as  many  large  orders  in 
the  private  trade. 

On  December  3,  according  to  the  files  of  a  neighboring 
bank,  the  immediate  assets  of  the  company  were 
$1,112,000.  Its  current  indebtedness  at  that  time 
was  $695,000.  The  company  is  Usted  in  the  agencies 
at  $2,000,000. 

This  is  the  best  we  can  do,  but  such  as  it  is,  we  send 
you  in  welcome.  The  only  condition  we  impose  is 
one  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  mention,  namely,  that 
it  be  treated  with  discretion. 


417 


27--(429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


PRACTICE 

1.  "Your  credit  is  good  at  Turner's" — This  is  the  widely 
advertised  slogan  of  a  clothing  shop.  Write  a  letter  to  follow  up 
and  enforce  this  slogan,  to  be  sent  to  a  selected  list  of  business  men. 
Write  another  letter  to  mothers  of  schoolboys.  Explain  in  both 
letters  the  advantages  accruing  to  buying  on  credit,  but  present 
different  reasons-why  in  the  men's  letter  from  those  in  the  mothers' 
letter. 

2.  Devise  a  credit  questionnaire  to  be  used  by  a  small  shopkeeper 
in  a  wealthy  suburban  section.  Devise  another  to  be  used  by  a 
small  shopkeeper  in  a  mining  or  other  industrial  town  in  a  remote 
rural  section.  In  a  letter  to  the  credit  department  of  the  bank  in 
which  you  are  employed,  explain  and  justify  the  differences  and 
the  similarities  between  these  two  questionnaires. 

3.  You  want  credit  information  about  three  applicants  for  credit 
privilege  at  your  grocery  shop.  One  comes  from  a  private  home  ; 
one  from  the  landlady  of  a  large  boarding  house ;  one  from  the 
proprietor  of  a  lunch  counter  in  a  busy  center.  Write  to  your 
bank  for  information  regarding  these  three  applicants.  Reproduce 
the  reply  (or  repUes)  received  from  the  bank  about  them.  Assume 
definite  facts  and  figures  in  connection  with  each  one. 

4.  James  Lonegran,  treasurer  of  the  club  or  general  organization 
of  which  you  are  president,  has  applied  to  a  friend  of  yours  for  a 
position  of  trust  and  financial  responsibility,  and  has  mentioned 
you  as  reference.  Write  a  letter  in  reply  to  an  inquiry  from  your 
friend,  telling  exact  facts  about  Lonegran's  handling  large  sums  of 
money  for  the  club.  Devise  figures  in  order  to  make  your  state- 
ment clear  and  impressive.  Assume  that  he  was  called  upon  to 
manage  complicated  transactions  in  his  capacity  as  treasurer  of 
the  club. 

5.  Mrs.  Whitefield  Blakeson  has  recently  moved  to  your  town 
and  has  written  to  you  for  credit  privilege  at  your  department  shop. 
On  investigating  her  references  you  are  informed  that  Mrs.  Blakeson 
is  not  a  safe  risk.  She  is  indebted  to  many  tradesmen  in  the  town 
in  which  she  formerly  lived  ;  she  has  the  reputation  of  living  beyond 
her  means,  and  such  capital  as  she  has  is  invested  in  somewhat 
hazardous  securities.  She  has  opened  a  small  account  at  a  local 
bank,  but  this  is  the  only  financial  relationship  she  has  established 

418 


SELLING   CREDIT   BY  LETTER 


in  her  new  place  of  residence.  Reproduce  the  letter  of  credit 
information  that  you  receive.  Write  to  Mrs.  Blakeson  explaining 
the  special  advantages  of  your  cash  arrangements,  but  declining 
to  extend  her  the  privilege  she  seeks. 

6.  You  have  been  asked  to  "  tell  all  you  know  "  about  Mr. 
Robert  Ware,  a  customer  of  yours  for  many  years  and  a  highly 
respected  citizen  in  your  community.  The  inquiry  comes  from  a 
bank  in  a  remote  section.  Mr.  Ware  is  seeking  a  position  for  his 
nephew  in  the  bank,  and  is  furnishing  bond  for  him.  Write  a  letter 
of  credit  information  to  the  bank,  stating  the  extent  of  your  dealings 
with  Mr.  Ware,  the  number  of  times  you  have  accommodated  him, 
his  estimated  wealth,  his  present  financial  and  other  connections. 
Construct  exact  facts  and  figures  in  order  to  make  your  letter  as 
favorable  and  as  plausible  as  possible. 

7.  Write  to  a  customer  of  yours  who  has  always  dealt  with  you 
on  a  strictly  cash  basis,  offering  ciedit  privilege.  Explain  fully  the 
advantages  and  benefits  accruing  to  the  credit  relationship,  and 
emphasize  the  ease  and  simplicity  of  buying  on  the  credit  plan  at 
your  establishment.  Enclose  forms  to  be  filled  out,  and  suggest 
date  on  which  the  customer  will  find  it  especially  advantageous  to 
open  an  account,  owing  to  certain  special  offerings. 

8.  Write  to  a  customer  of  yours  who  has  for  some  time  dealt  with 
you  on  a  credit  basis,  discontinuing  the  credit  privilege  as  the  result 
of  the  customer's  habitual  dehnquency  in  making  payments.  The 
amount  of  indebtedness  has  now  accumulated  to  $600.  and  pur- 
chases are  still  being  made.  Monthly  statements  have  kept  the 
customer  informed  of  this  increasing  obligation,  many  polite  notes 
have  been  sent  to  the  delinquent,  and  an  employee  of  your  house 
has  called  personally  upon  him.  The  account  is  now  to  be  placed  in 
the  hands  of  a  collection  agency,  and  your  sales  people  are  instructed 
to  permit  no  further  purchases  by  this  customer  except  for  cash. 
You  are  sorry.  You  cannot  understand.  You  have  tried  to  do 
your  part.  You  will  welcome  an  interview.  You  are  willing  to 
consider  reopening  credit  dealings  immediately  the  customer's 
indebtedness  has  been  settled,  and  his  good  faith  has  been  avowed 
to  your  Mr.  Robert  M.  Wolff  in  person.  Make  your  letter  tolerant 
and  ..patient  but  firm  and  conclusive. 

9.  Your  credit  policy  consists  of  the  conduct  of  a  bank  in  connec- 
tion with  your  department  shop,  in  which  credit  customers  are 

419 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


obliged  to  keep  accounts.  Interest  at  current  savings  rates  is 
payable  on  these  deposits  provided  they  are  never  less  than  $100. 
in  any  given  case.  A  credit  depositor  must  at  all  times  have  a 
suf&cient  deposit  in  the  bank  to  cover  current  purchasing  bills. 
Immediately  bills  go  above  deposits,  deliveries  are  held  up  and 
customers  are  notified.  This  system  obviates  some  of  the  unpleasant 
business  of  collection,  and  of  credit  refusal  or  modification.  It  is 
really  a  cooperative  loan-and-purchase  plan,  mutually  advantageous. 
Write  a  letter  to  some  one  who  has  applied  to  you  for  credit  privilege. 
Explain  the  plan  fully,  and  call  attention  to  its  special  features. 
Sell  your  credit  plan  to  the  applicant. 

10.  The  First  National  Bank,  Tulsa,  Oklahoma,  writes  you  for 
information  regarding  the  standing  of  the  Eastern  Fruit  Company. 
Answer  the  letter,  basing  your  reply  upon  the  following  facts  : 

The  Eastern  Fruit  Company  has  but  recently  become  a  customer 
of  yours.  Its  business  has  therefore  been  handled  chiefly  in  Boston, 
but  difficulties  with  shipping  have  necessitated  expansion  of  port 
facilities,  together  with  extended  banking  connections  at  shipping 
points.  It  has  recently  also  opened  offices  in  Philadelphia  and 
Baltimore.  Your  dealings  with  the  Eastern  Fruit  Company,  tho 
brief,  have  nevertheless  been  signally  satisfactory.  It  maintains  a 
substantial  balance,  and  on  the  one  occasion  on  which  you  have 
extended  accommodation,  sound  collateral  has  been  immediately  at 
hand.  The  Wemont  National  Bank  of  Boston  rates  its  account 
with  the  Eastern  Fruit  Company  among  the  very  best  on  its  books, 
and  this  uniformly  high  standing  has  been  maintained  for  twelve 
years. 

The  president  of  the  Eastern  Fruit  Company,  Mr.  Henry  Brainerd, 
was  formerly  president  of  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad.  The 
other  officers  of  the  company  are  rated  high  in  financial  circles  here 
in  the  East.  The  company  is  capitalized  at  $1,000,000.  Its  gross 
earnings  last  year  were  $2,000,000.  and  its  net  earnings  $900,000. 
Your  opinion  of  the  Eastern  Fruit  Company  is  that  it  is  sound  and 
promising.  It  may  be  expanding  a  little  too  rapidly,  in  view  of 
unsettled  conditions.  At  least,  this  has  been  said  in  some  quarters. 
But  on  the  whole,  you  are  strongly  inclined  to  believe  it  safe,  and 
in  some  respects  unusual. 

11.  Mr.  Harold  Nolan,  who  has  charge  of  the  Milwaukee  branch 
of  your  bank,  has  written  to  inquire  about  a  Mr.  Maurice  Beer,  who 


420 


SELLING  CREDIT  BY  LETTER 


has  recently  moved  to  Milwaukee  from  New  York.  Mr.  Beer  has 
asked  Mr.  Nolan  to  look  after  the  transfer  of  his  business  from  the 
New  York  bank  to  the  Milwaukee  branch.  You  find  in  looking  up 
his  record  that  Mr.  Beer  has  connections  of  four  different  kinds  with 
your  bank  in  New  York.  He  has  both  a  drawing  account  and  a 
savings  account,  he  has  some  excellent  stock  securities  in  your 
keeping,  and  he  is  co-executor  with  the  bank  at  present  in  the 
settlement  of  a  small  estate  of  an  Eastern  relative  who  has 
recently  died. 

1.  Reproduce   the   inter-department   correspondence,    including 

note-heads,  thru  which  complete  data  of  Mr.  Beer's  case 
is  accumulated. 

2.  Embody  all  the  information  thus  gleaned  in  a  statement,  with 

enclosures,  to  be  sent  to  Mr.  Nolan.  Accompany  this  state- 
ment with  a  letter.  Build  to  Mr.  Beer's  credit  interest  in 
Milwaukee. 


421 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


BUSINESS    LETTER    SERVICE 

Boston  New  York  Philadelphia  Chicago 

January  Tenth 
1930 

The  Brown  and  Bronson  Company 
400  Riverside  Avenu^ 
San  Francisco,  Calif. 

Gentlemen 

The  extended  paragraphing  in  letter  composition  may  be 
applied  to  the  various  parts  of  the  letter 

In  this  letter,  for  example,  you  will  observe  that  the  head- 
ing, the  inside  address,  and  the  complimentary  clos- 
ing with  the  signature,  carry  out  the  harmony  of 
extension 

This  is  unusual,  of  course,  but  it  is  clear  and  consistent, 
and  no  objection  can  be  taken  to  it,  except  by  those 
who  are  addicted  to  the  conventional  in  letter  writ- 
ing, as  in  all  other  things 

The  customary  initials  of  dictator  and  stenographer  are 
placed  in  the  lower  righthand  corner 

Yours  very  truly  - 


^/i^^^^^^^t<^ 


T 

John  B.  Opdycke 

JBO:CD 


422 


CHAPTER  VIII 
SELLING  SOLVENCY   BY   LETTER 

He  demanded  that  I  pay  him,  yelled  unseemly,  lost  his  head. 

Gave  me  microscopic  vision  of  his  fist  ; 
But  no  matter  how  he  threatened,  and  no  matter  what  he  said, 

I  pretended  that  I  didn't  get  the  gist  ; 
So  he  went  away  disgruntled,  as  I  thought,  to  yield  the  fight, 

But  alas,  my  calculations  came  to  doubt  ! 
For  he  wrote  me  pretty  letters,  full  of  sweetness  and  of  light. 

That  just  simply  turned  my  pockets  inside  out. 

If  the  presentation  of  a  bill  could  be  taken  to  mean  its  prompt  and 
automatic  payment,  then  chapels  had  been  churches  and  poor  men's 
cottages  princes'  palaces.  And  the  particular  brand  of  commercial 
communication  known  as  the  collection  letter  would  have  no  raison 
d'etre.  But  it  is  necessary,  and  thereby  hangs  perhaps  a  somewhat 
ironic  commentary  upon  the  psychology  of  the  genus  homo. 

Some  one  has  said  that  twenty-five  out  of  every  one  hundred 
bills  that  are  sent  to  debtors  are  paid  almost  immediately  on 
receipt ;  twenty-five  are  never  paid ;  and  fifty  are  paid  only  after 
and  because  of  systematized  insistence  of  one  kind  or  another.  It 
could  not  be  contended  for  a  moment  that  such  figures  as  these  are 
to  be  arrived  at  with  any  degree  of  accuracy.  But  even  as  a 
speculation  or  a  "  rough  guess,"  they  are  extremely  stimulating  and 
thought-provoking. 

It  is  certain  that  some  people  pay  their  bills  promptly ;  some 
pay  only  after  considerable  prodding ;  some  never  pay  at  all. 
The  financial  conscience  of  Mr.  A  is  so  sensitive  that  the  receipt  of 
a  bill  drives  him  instinctively  to  his  check  book.  He  has  the  money, 
the  sense  of  obligation,  and  the  passion  for  business  exactness  and 
promptitude  that  make  him  an  Al  credit  risk.  Mr.  B  hesitates 
when  he  receives  a  bill.  His  capital  is  not  so  secure  as  Mr.  A's, 
his  character  not  so  strong,  his  avenues  for  assembling  money  not 
so  varied  and  reliable.  He  is  an  uncertain  risk.  Mr.  C  is  a  con- 
scientious objector  in  the  matter  of  paying  bills.  He  is  so  callous 
that  an  influx  of  bills,  old  and  new,  large  and  small,  honorable  and 

423 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


dishonorable,  leave  him  in  statu  quo.  He  may  or  may  not  have  the 
money.  His  sense  of  obligation  is  dulled  to  deadness.  His  respect 
for  business  exactness  and  promptitude  is  nil — except  when  people 
owe  him  money.  Then  it  is  miraculously  revivified.  He  is  a 
chronic  delinquent.     He  is  a  poor  credit  risk. 

These  are  general  classifications  only:  There  are,  of  course, 
variations  and  fluctuations  in  and  among  them.  The  element  of 
human  character  is  at  best  uncertain.  In  the  rapid  turn  and 
sweep  of  events  the  most  strongly  established  capitalization  may 
sometimes  be  threatened  and  embarrassed.  Sources  of  financial 
dependence  may  be  here  today  and  gone  tomorrow.  A  fair  credit 
risk  may  become  an  Al  risk,  under  a  new  set  of  circumstances. 
An  Al  risk  may  become  a  poor  one,  and  vice  versa,  given  certain 
changes  and  upheavals  in  conditions.  The  point  of  all  this,  and  of 
much  more  that  might  be  taken  into  consideration,  is  that  every 
risk  should  be  and  has  the  right  to  be  dealt  with  on  his  individual 
merits  or  demerits. 

Collection  class  distinctions  should  be  regarded  only  as  a  pre- 
liminary convenience,  as  a  beginning  toward  the  preparation  of 
individualized  appeals.  It  is  pretty  nearly,  if  not  quite,  true  that 
every  debtor  reflects  his  creditor — is  often  a  full  length  portrait  of 
his  creditor.  If  he  finds  himself  treated  from  the  class  point  of 
view — from  the  Dear  Sir  angle — ^his  reactions  will  be  justifiably 
general  and  indefinite.  But  if  he  finds  himself  treated  from  the 
individual  point  of  view — from  the  Dear  Mr.  Brown  angle — his 
reactions  will  be  more  satisfactory.  Assume  just  as  long  as  you 
can,  that  every  debtor  is  going  to  pay.  Give  him  credit  for  being 
a  human  being  and  for  having  the  ordinary  human  attitudes  toward 
affairs  in  general,  and  toward  your  affair  with  him  in  particular. 
Never  take  it  for  granted  that  he  is  trying  to  evade  payment,  for 
this  would  not  indicate  a  man-to-man  consideration  of  the  situation. 
More  debts  remain  unpaid,  because  of  false  assumptions,  than  the 
business  world  dreams  of.  What's  the  use  of  assuming,  every  time 
you  cross  the  street,  that  a  chauffeur  is  trying  to  run  you  down  ? 
You  will  find  that  in  the  majority  of  cases  he  is  trying  just  as 
hard  as  you  to  avoid  collision. 

First  in  the  course  of  collection  procedure  comes  the  bill.  Let 
it  be  printed  on  paper  of  good  quality,  in  dignified  type,  and  in 
clear,  unmistakable  form.-     Do  not  insult  a  debtor  by  a  shabby 

424 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


billhead  or  by  an  unintelligible  statement.  Do  not  total  the  items 
at  intervals  with  pencil,  especially  on  bills  that  are  made  out  on  the 
typewriter.  One  of  the  largest  banks  in  the  country  makes  this 
mistake  in  its  monthly  statements.  And  a  large  department  shop 
adds  items  for  the  last  two  or  three  days  of  the  month  with  pencil 
or  ink,  tho  the  rest  of  the  bill  is  typed.  It  would  be  better,  to  hold 
such  additions  for  the  next  month's  statement,  than  to  give  such 
suggestion  of  rush  and  carelessness  in  closing  monthly  accounts. 
By  an  itemized  account  is  meant  that  items  are  stated  uniformly, 
that  both  individual  prices  and  total  costs  are  indicated,  that  dates 
and  quantities  of  purchases  are  accurately  given,  and  that  inter- 
mediate and  total  additions  are  correct  to  the  fraction  of  a  fraction. 
In  short,  a  biU  cannot  be  too  explicit,  too  tidy,  too  exact,  too 
individual.  It  may  by  its  perfect  and  commanding  format  encourage 
prompt  payment. 

But  even  the  best  looking  bills  are  sometimes  ignored.  Then 
they  may  be  sent  again,  usually  at  the  expiration  of  a  month  in 
the  case  of  an  A 1  risk,  sooner  in  the  case  of  an  uncertain  risk,  still 
sooner  in  the  case  of  a  poor  risk.  Sticker  pictures  or  slogans  are 
used  by  some  houses  for  purposes  of  re-enforcing  a  bill  on  its  second 
and  subsequent  presentation.  These  collection  novelties  may  be 
designed  and  constructed  by  Uve  collection  departments  for  exclu- 
sive use,  or  they  may  be  bought  at  stationers.  Please  or  Please 
remit  or  Thank  you  is  the  simplest  of  such  devices.  The  picture  of 
a  check  or  a  bill  passing  from  one  hand  to  another,  of  a  very  unhappy 
looking  face,  of  an  empty  cash  box,  and  so  forth,  are  a  few  of  the 
miniature  bill  collection  cartoons  in  more  or  less  common  use. 
Complimentary  stickers  are  usually  pasted  over  these  on  the 
receipted  bill  when  it  is  finally  paid — a  full  cash  box,  for  instance, 
with  a  "  business  as  usual  "  caption,  or  a  smiling  face,  or  a  hearty 
handshake  between  debtor  and  creditor. 

When  the  presentation  of  a  bill  more  than  once,  and  in  one  form 
or  another,  fails  to  collect,  the  formal  notification  is  usually  sent 
to  the  delinquent.  This  is,  as  a  rule,  a  printed  or  processed  form. 
It  may  be  a  full-form  reminder  only,  more  forceful  than  the  bill 
itself,  or  it  may  be  a  semi-form  note  with  fill-ins  for  exact  data — 
the  amount  due,  the  number  of  days  overdue,  the  dates  on  which 
bills  were  rendered.  The  forms  following  illustrate  types  of 
notification  forms : 

'  425 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Permit  us  to  remind  you  that  the 
enclosed  statement  is  now  presented 
for  the  third  time. 

We  shall  appreciate  your  prompt 
attention  to  the  settlement  of  this 
account,  now  long  past  due. 

Thank  you.    " 


Your  bill  of  $ for  August 

still  remains  unpaid.  We  have  sent 
you  two  statements,  and  must  now 
request  that  you  make  immediate 
payment.  Please  send  us  your 
check  by  return  mail. 


426 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


Won't  you  please 

send  us  your  check  for  the  amount  you 
owe  us  ? 

We  have  reminded  you  more  than  once, 
but  we  understand,  of  course,  how  easy  it 
is  to  overlook  some  things  in  the  pressure 
of  modern  conditions. 

The  amount $321 

Bill  sent 3 

Overdue. 60 days. 


Thanks  very  much. 

7 


You'll  favor  Messrs.  Jones  and  Bronson 
with  your  check  before  the  first  of  the 
month,  won't  you  please,  in  settlement  of 
that  Uttle  but  long-standing  indebtedness  ? 


They  enclose  a  stamped  addressed  envelope 
for  the  purpose,  and  they  will  more  than 
appreciate  your  prompt  courtesy  in  the 
matter. 


Please  ? 


Also 


Please  ! 


Amount  due  $183.57.    Since  June  30, 1930 


427 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


After  such  notices  as  these  have  been  sent  to  the  delinquent,  and 
failed,  the  personal  collector  "  makes  his  call,"  or  the  collection 
letter  series  is  initiated.  We  are  not  here  concerned  with  the 
former,  except  to  note  that  he  is  employed  principally  by  large 
retail  houses  to  follow  up  especially  poor  risks.  How  many  collec- 
tion letters  are  to  be  sent,  and  at  what  intervals  of  time,  must  be 
decided  in  relation  to  the  risk.  To  the  Al  risk  they  should  naturadly 
be  sent  less  frequently  but  for  a  longer  period  of  time  than  to  the 
poor  or  uncertain  risk.  Payment  by  the  Al  risk  is  certain  eventually ; 
it  is  usually  safest  to  assume  that  it  is  simply  postponed  for  the 
best  of  financial  reasons.  An  occasional  reminder  is  probably  aU 
that  is  necessary  on  the  part  of  collection  activity.  But  payment 
by  the  poor  risk  or  by  the  uncertain  risk  is  by  no  means  certain 
eventually  ;  therefore,  a  sharper,  more  summary  collection  method 
in  both  frequency  and  duration  of  appeal,  is  necessary.  Here, 
again,  consideration  must  be  given  to  individual  situation.  If 
conditions  in  connection  with  a  given  line  of  business  become  so 
acute  that  temporary  embarrassment  results,  the  collection  method 
must  be  accordingly  modified.  Collections  that  in  the  past  have 
been  made  on  the  long-circuit  basis,  cannot  suddenly  be  converted 
to  the  short-circuit  basis.  Any  collection  method  that  attempts 
to  shorten  the  regulation  time  period  is  likely  to  fail. 

A  wholesaler  collecting  from  a  retailer  would  quite  naturally  use 
a  different  collection  method  from  that  employed  by  a  retailer  in 
collecting  from  an  average  customer.  The  wholesaler  and  the 
retailer  are  engaged  in  part  ir  similar  lines  of  business.  There  is 
a  fraternity  of  interest  and  understanding  between  them  that  does 
not  exist  between  the  retailer  and  his  average  customer.  It  follows, 
therefore,  that  different  appeals  of  a  more  intimate  character 
should  be  used  by  the  wholesaler  in  collection  letters  to  a  retailer, 
from  those  that  should  be  used  by  the  retailer  in  his  collection 
letters  to  general  customers. 

There  is  likewise  a  difference  of  interest  and  in  consequent  collection 
appeal  among  different  classes  of  trades  and  professional  people 
toward  their  respective  customer  groups.  The  physician  has  access 
to  a  particular  set  of  human  interest  arguments,  tho  he  rarely  uses 
collection  letters  (and  suffers  more  than  most  others,  perhaps,  for 
not  doing  so).  The  department  shop  may  profitably  play  up  the 
reason-why  arguments  in  collection  communications,   while  the 


428 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


grocer  may  feature  sense-appeals.  But  these  are  illustrations 
merely.  The  important  thing  is  to  remember  not  to  talk  like  a 
physician  while  you  are  trying  to  collect  a  bill  due  on  furniture, 
not  to  talk  like  a  tailor  while  you  are  trying  to  collect  on  real  estate. 
To  illustrate  still  another  need  for  close-up  differentiation  in  the 
collection  appeal  and  its  phraseology :  During  the  war,  when  the 
miners  in  the  Pennsylvania  coal  districts  were  receiving  inflated 
wages,  a  piano  company  had  small  difficulty  in  selling  a  record 
number  of  instruments  on  a  generous  instalment  plan.  Came  the 
end  of  the  war  and  the  subsequert  wage  reductions.  The  piano 
company  soon  found  that  its  old  collection  form  letters  for  instal- 
ment payments  would  not  do  to  meet  the  new  and  adverse  situation. 
Instalment  payments  in  the.  best  of  times  are  made  with  increasing 
delinquency  toward  the  end  of  the  payment  period.  While  the 
novelty  of  the  commodity  lasts,  during  the  first  few  months,  mere 
collection  notices  are  all  that  are  usually  required.  During  the 
latter  months  of  the  instalment  payment  period,  the  collection 
appeals  invariably  have  to  be  toned  and  strengthened.  In  the 
acute  case  mentioned  above  a  whole  new  series  of  collection 
arguments  had  to  be  constructed,  with  the  result,  even  then, 
of  a  loss  that  has  broken  all  records  in  the  history  of  the 
company. 

Flexibility  is  the  biggest  word  in  a  collection  system.  Ferguson 
is  an  old  reliable  customer  of  yours.  He  has  a  good  paying  record, 
and  his  orders  come  in  regularly  and  increasingly.  Cochran,  too, 
is  an  old  reliable  customer  of  yours.  He  also  has  a  good  paying 
record  on  your  books.  But  his  orders  are  irregular  in  time  and 
fluctuating  in  quantity.  It  should  be  plain  that  you  would  be 
doing  an  injustice  to  Ferguson  as  well  as  to  yourself,  if  you  were 
to  subject  him  to  the  same  collection  follow-up  that  you  send  to 
Cochran.     What,  then,  to  do  ? 

Well,  the  collection  department  is  to  a  large  degree  the  servant 
of  both  the  sales  and  the  credit  departments.  It  is  quite  as  much 
the  master  of  both.  Its  policies  and  methods  must  therefore  be 
flexible  enough  to  serve  both,  and  do  much  more  besides.  Indeed, 
credits  and  collections  are  frequently  managed  under  a  single 
department  head.  Now,  all  three  of  these  branches  of  a  business — 
sales,  credits,  collections — should  be  contributors  to  a  customer's 
record    morgue — a   file   where   all    sorts  and  kinds   of    data  are 

429 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


accumulated  for  reference  about  customers.  Here  should  be  found 
records — basic  records — upon  which  to  rationalize  collection  appeals  : 
records  as  to  capital,  character,  reputation,  resources,  expansion, 
repeat  orders,  percentage  of  increase  in  quantity  orders,  and  many 
another  item  that  will  help  determine  for  the  collection  letter 
writer  the  most  effective  points  of  attack  and  the  order  in  which 
they  should  be  taken  up.  It  is  only  by  means  of  such  record  for 
every  individual  risk  that  any  scientific  treatment  may  be  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  business  of  collection  letter  writing.  It  is  only 
by  means  of  such  record  that  the  collection  letter  writer  can  place 
the  responsibility  for  delinquency  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  delin- 
quent where  it  belongs.  It  is  impossible,  of  course,  for  the  collection 
man  to  have  above  his  desk  a  psycho-analytic  chart  for  every  risk 
on  his  books,  but  it  is  by  no  means  impossible  for  him  and  his 
sales  and  credit  colleagues  to  compile  irrefutable  data  for  guidance 
in  outlining  collection  policy,  both  special  and  general.  Even 
when  the  record  is  contradictory  and  perhaps  inconsistent,  it  is 
worthy  of  preservation  and  study  for  the  sake  of  the  stimulus  it 
affords,  if  for  nothing  more.  Collection  form  paragraphs,  tho  not 
recommended  for  use  after  the  conditions  of  indebtedness  have 
become  acute,  can  not  be  prepared  in  any  degree  satisfactorily 
without  access  to  such  a  record  bureau.  It  affords  a  wealth  of 
material,  not  only  for  classified  form  paragraphs,  but  for  the 
constant  renewal  and  rewriting  of  such  paragraphs.  And  the  only 
collection  form  paragraph  method  to  be  countenanced  at  all,  is 
the  one  that  is  conducted  by  a  committee  of  re-writers,  whose 
entire  work  is  the  re-formation  and  refreshment  and  readjustment 
of  such  forms  month  by  month  or  week  by  week.  The  record 
bureau  is  their  fountain  source  of  fact  and  inspiration. 

In  the  case  of  Ferguson  and  Cochran,  above  referred  to,  sales 
may  say  :  "  Ferguson  went  into  debt  last  year  :  mortgaged  his 
plant  for  $100,000."  Credits  may  say  :  "  Cochran's  rating  has 
been  increased  by  twenty  per  cent  this  year  :  he  recently  took  a 
mortgage  for  $100,000.  on  Ferguson's  property."  What  modi- 
fications, if  any,  are  these  facts  going  to  impose  upon  the  policies 
of  the  collection  department,  the  orders  of  Ferguson  and  Cochran 
remaining  the  same  ? 

Sales  may  say  :  "  Sold  ten  new  gowns  to  Madam  X  this  morning." 
Credits  may  retort :  "  But  Madam  X  is  confronted  with  foreclosure 


430 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY   LETTER 


proceedings  in  the  courts."  And  collections  may  come  in  with  : 
"  Madam  X  has  not  yet  paid  all  of  her  bill  for  last  year's  gowns  !  " 
Sales,  always  hoping  for  the  best,  urges  time  and  other  kinds  ot 
leniency.  Credits,  always  preparing  for  the  worst,  urges  caution 
and  precaution.  Collections,  always  taking  what  comes,  calls  the 
one  a  fool-optimist  and  the  other  a  fool-pessimist,  and  turns  out 
from  between  the  upper  and  the  nether  millstone,  some  better, 
more  irresistible  collection  copy  than  ever. 

It  was  once  the  custom  to  urge  upon  the  writer  of  collection 
letters  the  necessity  of  constructing  messages  of  graded  serial 
appeal.  The  collection  series  was  begun  with  a  polite  personal 
request  for  payment,  followed  up  with  exposition  and  argument 
and  summary,  and  then  concluded  with  a  demand  or  a  threat  of 
legaJ  procedure.  But  this  plan,  tho  still  followed  in  certain  cases, 
is  a  bit  too  detached  and  cut-and-dried  to  guarantee  the  best 
results.  It  is,  of  course,  important  that  a  collection  letter  sequence 
have  cumulative  momentum,  but  this  does  not  at  all  imply  hard- 
and-fast  serialization.  Anything  of  the  tone  of  continued-in-our- 
next  in  a  collection  letter  would  itself  condemn  a  collection  policy. 
Rather,  every  collection  letter  should — ^must — bear  the  tone  of 
polite  finality,  must  give  the  definite  but  courteous  impression  that 
no  further  appeal  is  to  be  necessary. 

The  collection  letter  is  a  sales  letter.  It  sells  solvency.  It  sells 
customer  standing  and  reputation  and  credit  to  the  customer 
himself.  It  is  concerned  with  building  or  maintaining  or  re-enforc- 
ing good-will.  It  must  at  one  and  the  same  time  keep  the  customer 
and  train  him  in  habits  of  prompt  payment  of  his  bills.  Just  here 
the  writing  of  collection  letters  assumes  a  degree  of  difficulty  far 
beyond  that  of  any  other  kind  of  business  composition.  Not  only 
must  the  letter  of  collection  confront  the  deUnquent  with  clock- 
work regularity,  but  it  must  be  so  phrased  as  to  give  no  offense, 
as  to  give  no  impression  of  mere  dunning,  as  to  leave  no  loophole 
for  objection  or  escape  on  the  part  of  the  debtor.  Without  his 
being  at  all  aware  of  it,  the  debtor  must  be  subjected  to  a  corre- 
spondence course  of  training  in  the  profit  and  satisfaction  and 
all-round  desirability  of  promptly  paying  bills.  He  must  be  made 
to  feel,  by  the  rigid  regularity  of  your  letters,  that  there  is  no 
danger  whatsoever  of  your  forgetting  him,  that  his  little  lessons 
will  reach  him  on  time — lo,  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  ! — and  that 

431 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


nothing  that  you  can  do  toward  getting  him  to  settle  the  account 
will  be  considered  too  much  trouble. 

Whether  the  collection  letters  in  a  given  case  be  many  or  few, 
there  are  certain  appeals  that,  after  individual  considerations  have 
been  weighed,  may  nearly  always  be  depended  upon  to  be  helpful. 
These  are  classified  and  tabulated  below  in  the  order  in  which 
they  should  generally  be  used : 

I.    Queries. 

1.  Is  the  bill  correct  ? 

2.  Are  you  ill  or  have  you  moved  ? 

3.  Have  you  misunderstood  our  terms  ? 

4.  Why  haven't  we  heard  from  you  ? 

II.    Facts. 

1.  We  have  served  you  well. 

2.  All  business  is  conducted  on  the  credit  basis. 

3.  You  have  been  given  generous  time  limits. 

4.  We  too  have  bills  to  meet. 

III.  Opportunities. 

1.  You  may  provide  additional  security. 

2.  You  may  pay  by  instalment. 

3.  You  may  have  further  extension.       • 

4.  You  may  explain  to  one  of  our  collectors. 

IV.  Suggestions. 

1.  Your  pride  and  prestige  are  at  stake. 

2.  Your  sense  of  fair  play  is  called  into  question. 

3.  Let  us  have  the  benefit  of  your  criticism  of  our  course. 

4.  Tell  us  what  you  would  do  in  similar  circumstances. 

5.  Here's  a  coin  card  or  a  blank  check. 

V.   Threats. 

1.  Study  this  brief  history  of  the  case. 

2.  Your  time  has  expired  :    our  patience  is  exhausted. 

3.  Our  agency  or  attorney  will  write  to  you. 

4.  Sorry,  but  you  would  have  it  this  way. 

Like  other  outlii^es  of  procedure,  this  one  must  always  be  modified 
by  the  individual  circumstances  surrounding  a  case.  It  may  be 
usable  in  part  or  in  toto  in  one  instance ;  it  may  be  totally  useless 
in  another.  After  all,  the  two  most  salient  appeals  in  an  extended 
collection  letter  series  are  the  appeal  to  a  sense  of  justice  on  the 
part  of  the  delinquent  and  the  appeal  to  his  regard  for  reputation. 
Upon  the  tactful  handling  of  these  two  appeals  alone  the  burden  of 
collection  letter  composition  may  be  said  to  rest.    Some  houses 

432 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


make  it  a  rule,  and  they  contend  it  is  a  good  one,  always  to  enclose 
in  their  collection  letters  a  stamped  addressed  envelope,  and  a 
sales  suggestion  by  way  of  an  insert  or  a  paragraph  or  a  postscript 
in  the  letter  proper.  The  latter  creates  the  atmosphere  of  "  business- 
as-usual-expected-and-conducted,"  and  it  may  therefore  very  often 
produce  a  wholesome  and  favorable  impression. 

There  are  certain  other  appeals  that  should  rarely  if  ever  be 
used  in  collection  letters.     These  may  be  tabulated  as  follows : 

1.  Do  not  play  upon  pity  or  sympathy. 

2.  Do  not  attempt  to  create  fear. 

3.  Do  not  make  comparisons  of  any  kind. 

4.  Do  not  beg  or  dun  or  plead. 

5.  Do  not  make  threats  that  cannot  be  executed. 

6.  Do  not  print  or  mimeograph  collection  letters. 

7.  Do  not  suggest  that  the  debtor  will  hear  from  you  again. 

8.  Do  not  suggest  that  the  debtor  is  not  going  to  pay. 

9.  Do  not  impute  loss  or  embarrassment  to  the  debtor. 

10.  Do  not  write  long  collection  letters. 

11.  Do  not  feature  the  negative  tone. 

12.  Do  not  feature  false  motives  for  paying. 

BECAUSE 

Pity  is  a  form  of  contempt.  Fear  belittles  the  one  who  creates 
it.  Comparisons,  even  favorable  ones,  are  the  weakest  of  arguments. 
Begging  and  dunning  and  pleading  are  undignified.  Impotent 
threats  undo  the  one  who  makes  them.  Forms  are  machine-made  ; 
real  letters  are  man-made.  "  Continued-in-our-next  "  tone  justifies 
awaiting  the  "  next."  If  you  think  a  debtor  is  not  going  to  pay, 
and  let  him  know  you  think  it,  he  will  take  your  uncomplimentary 
attitude  as  an  invitation,  and  accept  it.  If  you  imply  that  a  debtor 
is  unable  to  manage  his  affairs  without  loss  or  embarrassment,  you 
may  hurt  his  feelings,  but  he  will  probably  accept  your  analysis 
of  his  budget — and  let  you  wait  for  your  money.  Nobody  in  the 
wide,  wide  world  cares  to  read  about  debt,  death,  or  disease  to  any 
great  length.  Negatives,  by  a  psychological  law  of  suggestive 
reaction,  induce  negatives  in  those  toward  whom  they  are  focused  ; 
they  will  encourage  a  debtor  to  say  no.  There  is  only  one  good, 
honest,  cleancut  reason  or  motive  for  his  paying  you,  and  only 
one  for  which  you  would  have  him  pay,  namely,  for  value  received  ! 

433 

28— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  final  letter  (or  letters)  in  a  collection  series — the  threat  or 
demand — is  sometimes  written  on  different  stationery  from  that 
used  for  the  other  letters  in  the  collection  campaign.  This  conveys 
an  impressive  change  of  tone  and  atmosphere,  and  may  renew 
attention  thru  surprise.  The  collection  department  of  a  large 
western  company  recently  reported  tremendous  success  with  the 
use  of  different  stationery  along  with  a  change  of  name  and  address 
for  collection  work.  The  address  of  a  branch  office  was  used,  and 
the  collection  department  was  given  a  name  bearing  no  suggestion 
of  the  firm  name  itself.  Delinquents  thought,  upon  receiving  mail 
under  this  guise,  that  their  bills  had  been  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  collection  agency  for  summary  treatment.  The  percentage 
of  returns  was  extremely  high.  But  the  method  was  deceptive 
and  not  to  be  reconmiended.  The  debtors  were,  perhaps,  not 
taught,  but  fooled. 

The  collection  telegram,  like  the  collection  letter,  should  never 
fail  to  place  the  responsibiUty  for  the  situation  upon  the  debtor. 
Such  telegraphic  messages  as  *'  Goods  are  packed  ready  for  ship- 
ment. They  will  go  forward  immediately  your  check  is  received." 
**  The  goods  are  ready.  Shall  we  draw  on  you  ?  "  have  an  immediacy 
of  appeal  that  demands  respectful  attention.  Both  by  the  form  and 
by  the  wording,  the  solution  to  a  strained  situation  is  focused 
directly  upon  the  debtor.  He  has  difficulty  in  avoiding  a  yes  or 
a  no,  or  at  least  an  immediate  and  definite  action.  Such  telegrams 
should  always  be  prepaid.  Forms  of  any  kind  of  personal  and 
continuous  collection  procediure  are,  as  a  rule,  not  to  be  recom- 
mended. But  the  "  sample  telegrams  for  use  in  the  collection  of 
delinquent  accounts "  reproduced  below  by  permission  of  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  constitute  a  valuable  com- 
pilation, worthy  of  careful  study  and  consideration.  They  do  not 
all  foUow  the  above  theories  to  a  nicety,  and  they  are  not  of  equal 
merit,  but  many  of  them  have  achieved  excellent  results : 

1.  Expected  remittance  not  received.     Cannot  wait  longer.     Please  remit 

immediately. 

2.  Your  old  account  must  be  paid.     Unwilling  to  wait  longer. 

3.  Our  patience  is  exhausted.     Must  have  account  paid  at  once. 

4.  Unwilling  to  wait  longer.    Account  overdue.     Please  remit  at  once. 

5.  Will  draw  on  you  Monday  unless  we  receive  remittance. 

6.  Our  account  long  past  due.     Please  remit  at  once. 


434 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


7.  Please  remit  for  account  due.     Imperative  need.     Thank  you. 

8.  Our  account  long  overdue.     Please  remit  by  return  mail. 

9.  Our  account  overdue.    Please  remit  by  return  mail  and  oblige. 

10.  Very  important  that  we  receive  remittance  by  January  first.     Answer. 

11.  Why  don't  you  remit  ?     Account  long  past  due. 

12.  Our  account  past  due.     Please  send  check  without  further  delay. 

13.  Remittance  imperatively  needed.      Kindly  help  us  out.     Answer   our 

expense. 

14.  Very  important  that  we  receive  a  remittance  from  you  immediately. 

15.  We  call  your  attention  to  our  account. 

16.  Need  funds  by  Monday.    Please  remit  by  return  mail.    Thanks. 

17.  Why  don't  you  remit  ?     Need  funds  badly.    Answer  our  expense. 

18.  Your  delay  in  remitting  very  annoying.    Your  prompt  attention  requested. 

19.  In  need  of  funds.     Remittance  greatly  appreciated.     Answer. 

20.  Expect  payment  on  account  without  further  delay.     Don't  disappoint. 

21.  Regret  cannot  extend  further  credit  until  account  is  paid. 

22.  Pleased  to  fill  order  when  you  remit  for  account  due. 

23.  May  we  have  remittance  by  January  first  ?     Please  accommodate  us. 

24.  Large  obligations  to  meet  next  few  days.    Remittance  greatly  appreciated. 

25.  Your  prompt  remittance  will  assist  us  greatly.    Please  accommodate  us. 

26.  Closing  our  books  for  audit.     Remittance  on  account  much  appreciated. 

27.  A  remittance  for  our  invoice  of  December  first  much  appreciated. 

28.  Unless  remittance  is  received  promptly  must  decline  further  credit. 

29.  Our  account  overdue.     Please  send  check.    Thank  you. 

30.  Have  you  overlooked  us  ?     Oblige  us  with  check  if  possible. 

31.  Please  help  us  out  with  remittance  for  our  account. 

32.  Have  large  amount  to  pay  January  first.     Please  help  us  out. 

33.  If  account  correct  please  remit  as  per  terms  of  order. 

34.  Unexpectedly  in  need  of  funds.     Please  accommodate  us. 

35.  Closing  our   books.     Anxious   to  collect   outstanding  accounts.     Please 

remit . 

36.  Have  you  overlooked  us?     Remittance  on  account  much" appreciated 

just  now. 

37.  Why  don't  you  answer  our  letters  ?     Account  must   be  paid  without 

further  delay. 

38.  Why    have    you    not    paid    December   invoices  ?      Remittance  greatly 

appreciated. 

39.  Your  remittance  must  be  here  by  January  first.     Patience  exhausted. 

Answer. 

40.  Should  not  telegraph  unless  very  imperative.     Kindly  send  check  on 

account. 

435 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


41.  Our   collections   slow.      Can't    you   send   check  on  account  ?      Greatly 

appreciated. 

42.  Disappointed  no  remittance  from  you.    Make  noise  like  check  please. 

43.  A  remittance  for  our  account  will  be  greatly  appreciated. 

44.  Please    accommodate    us   with   prompt    remittance.      Many    payments 

to  meet. 

45.  Very  important  remittance  reach  us  on  Monday.    Large  payments  to  meet. 

46.  Have  you   overlooked  invoice  of  December  tenth  ?     Attention  greatly 

appreciated.     Reply  our  expense. 

47.  Understand  your  collections  are  good.     Kindly  let  us  have  check  on 

account. 

48.  Wire  our  expense  whether  we  may  have  remittance  by  December  first. 

Your  help  appreciated. 

49.  A  check  for  account  by  return  mail  will  be  of  great  assistance. 

50.  Know  no  reason  for  your  delay  in  paying  us.     Please  remit  immediately. 


The  collection  manager  takes  a  hand. 


I  was  more  than  surprised,  when  the  list  of  accounts 
to  be  sent  to  an  attorney  came  to  my  desk  this 
morning,  to  find  that  the  list  included  your  name. 
Certainly  you  must  have  some  good  reason  for  your 
failure  to  pay  the  amount  due  us. 

It  is  always  a  matter  of  great  distaste  to  me  to 
have  to  send  any  account  to  an  attorney,  for  the 
reason  that  at  best  it  damages  the  credit  standing 
of  the  merchant  as  well  as  causes  the  house  a  good 
deal  of  trouble  and  expense. 

Is  there  any  reason  why  you  should  not  settle 
the  amount  due  us  ?  Have  we  failed  to  deUver 
our  part  of  the  bargain,  or  is  it  simply  a  matter  of 
your  being  temporarily  short  of  funds  ? 

Whatever  the  reason,  won't  you  grant  me  the 
courtesy  of  a  prompt  and  frank  reply  ?  This  will 
save  us  both  a  great  deal  of  annoyance  and  I  can 
assure  you  that  I  shall  be  only  too  glad  to  co-operate 
with  you  in  any  way  that  is  possible. 


436 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


The  controller  takes  charge  and  goes  a  long  way  to- 
ward giving  the  delinquent  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 


Mr.  Careton,  the  manager  of  our  Credit  and  Collection 
Department,  brought  three  or  four  accounts  into 
my  ofl&ce  this  morning.  He  said  he  is  sure  that  these 
accounts  are  good,  but,  for  some  reason  or  other,  he 
has  been  unable  to  collect  them.  He  wanted  to  know 
whether  I  thought  he  had  handled  them  properly 
and  whether  he  ought  to  proceed  with  the  ordinary 
unpleasant  collection  process. 

Personally,  I  think  his  judgment  has  been  good,  as 
it  usually  is.  These  accounts,  among  which  yours 
is  included,  look  to  me  to  be  good  if  ever  there  were 
good  accounts.  Also,  I  think  the  Collection  Depart- 
ment has  been  unusually  courteous  and  lenient  in 
attempting  to  induce  you  to  send  us  your  check. 
You  will,  I  am  sure,  agree  with  me  on  both  points. 

It  isn't  necessary,  of  course,  in  talking  to  a  successful 
merchant,  to  dwell  upon  ordinary  business  principles. 
That  would  be  a  waste  of  time.  You  know  as  well 
as  I  do  that  it  is  good  business  to  discount  your  bills 
at  one  per  cent  and  thus  earn  twelve  per  cent  per 
year  on  the  capital  involved.  You  know  also  the 
value  of  good  credit  standing  with  manufacturing  and 
wholesale  houses.  All  of  this  is  really  kindergarten 
information. 

My  view  of  the  matter  is  that  some  clerk  in  your 
establishment  has  neglected  our  account  or  that  you 
have  some  very  good  reason  why  you  cannot  meet  it 
at  this  time. 

If  the  former  is  the  case,  I  wish  you  would  get  after 
the  chap  who  is  behind  in  his  work  and  make  him 
put  a  check  in  the  enclosed  envelope  and  mail  it  on 
the  day  you  get  this  letter. 

If  on  the  other  hand,  you  are  unable  to  meet  the 
account  now — ^and  we  are  human  enough  to  under- 
stand that  this  sometimes  happens — I  wish  you 
would  tell  me  frankly  what  the  situation  is.  We  can 
deal  intelUgently  and  Uberally  when  all  the  cards 
are  on  the  table. 

Mr.  Careton  has  instructions  from  me  not  to  proceed 
with  your  account  until  I  hear  from  you. 


437 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


The  seven  Omar  collection  letters  below  were  written  by 

Miss  Mabel  F.  Brooks  for  the  book  department  of  a  large 

retail  shop,  and  are  used  here  by  her  permission. 


1. 

Simply  a  reminder — cordial  and 
friendly  tone. 


A  Book  of  Verses  underneath  the  Bough, 
A  f'^g  of  Wine,  a  Loaf  of  Bread — and  Thou 

Beside  me  singing  in  the  Wilderness — 
Oh,  Wilderness  were  Paradise  enow  ! 


That  sounds  like  an  ideal  vacation.  We  hope  you 
enjoyed  yours. 

The  Book  of  Verses  you  bought  of  us  on  June  15, 
with  other  books  indicated  in  the  enclosed  statement, 
— which  we  have  sent  you  on  the  first  of  each  month 
since  that  day. 

We  can  easily  understand  how  the  combination 
indicated  in  the  lines  quoted  above  might  make  any 
man  forget  a  mere  bill.  The  Bough,  the  Jug,  the 
Loaf,  have  vanished,  but  we  hope  that  the  Book  of 
Verses  and  the  only  "  Thou  "  in  the  world  are  still 
making  Paradise  for  you. 

You  have  always  been  so  prompt  in  settHng  your 
accounts  with  us  before  this  that  we  feel  sure  yf>\x 
have  a  good  reason  for  the  present  delay. 


438 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


2. 

"  The  case  is  in  your  hands.  Let  us 
hear  from  you."  New  sales  talk. 


There  was  the  Door  to  which  I  found  no  Key  ; 
There  was  the  Veil  through  which  I  might  not  see 

Some  little  talk  awhile  of  Me  and  Thee 
There  was — and  then  no  more  of  Thee  and  Me. 


You  have  the  key.  Just  turn  it  and  let  us  find  the 
reason  why  we  have  not  heard  from  you  in  regard  to 
your  account,  which  has  been  standing  since  June  15. 


Perhaps  you  have  been  moving  about  so  much  during 
the  summer  and  early  fall  that  the  statements  sent 
on  the  first  of  each  month  have  not  reached  you. 
Is  this  the  reason  ? 


Can  it  be  that  the  terms  of  the  agreement  are  not 
clear  ?  If  you  find  any  error  in  the  enclosed  state- 
ment, kindly  use  this  stamped  and  addressed  envelope 
to  let  us  know  of  the  difiiculty  at  once.  "  Some 
Httle  talk  awhile  of  Me  and  Thee  "  will  clear  away 
any  possible  misunderstanding,  we  are  sure,  and 
bring  a  prompt  settlement  of  the  account. 


By  the  way,  our  books  for  the  hoUday  season  will  be 
ready  for  you  the  first  of  November.  Come  in  and 
look  them  over.    We  have  a  gorgeous  new  edition  of 

the    RUBAIYAT. 


439 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


Friendly  warning — offer  of 
accommodation. 


Indeed  the  Idols  I  have  loved  so  long 

Have  done  my  credit  in  this  World  much  wrong  : 

Have  drown'd  my  Glory  in  a  shallow  Cup, 
And  sold  my  Reputation  for  a  Song. 

Isn't  that  the  truth,  now  ?  Isn't  the  idol  of  delay 
making  a  sorry  mess  of  your  credit  ?  And  it  is 
drowning  your  glory  as  a  good  sportsman  in  such  a 
shallow  cup  ! 

The  enclosed  bill  for  $83.78  is  a  small  matter  to  stand 
between  you  and  your  reputation  as  a  man  who  gives 
the  square  deal  that  he  expects  from  others. 

Your  reputation  will  be  sold  for  a  song  if  we  are 
called  upon  to  give  credit  information  regarding  you. 
But  what  other  course  is  open  to  us  ? 

Tell  us  some  way  by  which  we  can  make  the  payment 
easy  for  you,  and  do  it  now.  There  is  no  telling  how 
soon  we  may  be  asked  about  your  financial  standing. 
You  will  pay  in  time,  of  course,  but  heed  old  Omar's 
warning  and  save  your  reputation  now. 


440 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


4. 


Serious  but  kindly  explanation  of 
the  business  situation  with  further 
offer  of  accommodation. 


Ah,  but  my  Computations,  People  say. 
Reduce  the  year  to  better  reckoning  ?   Nay, 

'  Twas  only  striking  from  the  Calendar 
Unborn  Tomorrow,  and  dead  Yesterday. 


Ah,  but  computations  do  reduce  the  year  to  better 
reckoning.  Neglect  in  keeping  accounts  in  order 
reduces  your  year  of  business  to  a  failure.  When  you 
neglect  to  pay  our  bill  of  $83.78  you  break  the 
otherwise  endless  chain  of  debit  and  credit  that  makes 
modern  business  possible. 

Of  course  $83.78  isn't  going  to  ruin  any  one,  but  it 
helps  to  slow  up  business  and  to  keep  prices  high  for 
you  as  well  as  for  others. 

You  have  owed  us  this  sum  since  June  15.  But  don't 
regret  yesterday  ;  don't  delay  until  tomorrow  ;  let 
us  know  TODAY  that  you  are  dealing  squarely  with  us. 
Here's  a  blank  check.  Fill  it  in  for  as  much  as  you 
can  pay  now  ;  mail  it  to  us  in  the  enclosed  envelope  ; 
and  prove  to  us  that  you  are  keeping  faith. 

If  you  can  suggest  a  more  convenient  method  of 
payment,  tell  us  about  it.  We  shall  be  glad  to 
accommodate  you. 


441 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


5. 

Regret  at  loss  of  business  good  fellow- 
ship— plea  for  return  to  cordial 
relations. 


The  moving  Finger  writes,  and  having  writ 
Moves  on  :   nor  all  thy  Piety  nor  Wit 

Shall  lure  it  back  to  cancel  half  a  Line, 
Nor  all  thy  Tears  wash  out  a  Word  of  it. 

There  is  something  intimate  in  the  process  of  selling 
books.  It  is  like  introducing  one  valued  friend  to 
another.  This  delightful  relationship  you  are 
destroying  by  your  neglect  of  our  bill  for  $83.78. 

As  inexorable  as  the  moving  finger  of  fate  is  the  law 
of  cause  and  effect.  Not  all  the  good  will  in  the  world 
can  withstand  the  continuous  disregard  of  the 
common  courtesies  of  hfe  and  of  the  fundamental 
requirements  of  business  dealings. 

Haven't  we  always  dealt  squarely  by  you,  ever  since 
your  first  order  of  nine  years  ago  ?  Haven't  we  offered 
you  a  full  stock  and  generous  terms  ?  You  know  we 
have.  Come,  return  the  comphment.  We  want  the 
$83.78,  of  course,  but  let  us  keep  our  faith  in  you, 
old  friend.  There  are  things  even  in  business  that  are 
of  deeper  consequence  than  dollars. 

We  shall  confidently  watch  for  the  return  mail. 


442 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


6. 

Reminder  of  fair  treatment — review 
of  attempts  at  collection — charge  of 
lack  of  fair  play. 


Some  for  the  Glories  of  This  World  ;  and  some 
Sigh  for  the  Prophet's  Paradise  to  come  ; 
Ah,  take  the  Cash  and  let  the  Credit  go, 
Nor  heed  the  rumble  of  a  distant  Drum  ! 

We  take  the  cash,  you  let  your  credit  go,  unless 
before  November  25  you  send  us  your  check  for  the 
full  amount  of  your  indebtedness  to  us,  $83.78. 

In  our  letters  of  October  14,  21,  28,  November  4  and 
11 ,  we  have  not  only  notified  you  of  your  account  due 
since  June  15,  but  in  a  courteous  way  have  requested 
payment,  appealed  to  your  sense  of  fair  play, 
explained  the  necessity  of  prompt  settlement,  and 
insisted  that  you  treat  us  squarely. 

No  reply  whatever  have  we  received.  At  first  we  laid 
your  silence  to  the  irregularities  of  the  vacation 
season  :  but  now  we  know  that  you  are  going  about 
your  affairs  under  normal  conditions. 

We  have  given  you  every  possible  consideration  in  the 
way  of  methods  of  payment  and  offers  of  extension 
of  time.  You  still  meet  our  courtesy  with  uncivil 
silence.  The  only  course  that  remains  open  to  us 
leads  thru  our  attorney's  office. 

Send  us  your  check  before  November  25  and  make 
this  course  unnecessary. 


443 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


7. 

Expiration  of  patience — correspon- 
dence closed — legal  collection  to 
follow. 


What !  from  his  helpless  Creature  he  repaid 
Pure  Gold  for  what  he  lent  us  dross  allay' d — 

Sue  for  a  Debt  we  never  did  contract, 
And  cannot  answer — Oh  the  sorry  trade  ! 

We  sue  only  for  debts  that  you  do  contract.  Our 
goods  are  just  what  they  are  represented  to  be, 
and  it  would  not  be  good  business  to  fail  to  collect 
the  bills  that  you  contract  in  purchasing  them. 

November  25  was  the  date  that  we  fixed,  in  our 
letter  of  November  18,  for  the  end  of  our  patience. 
No  reply  has  reached  us,  even  in  this  morning's 
mail. 

The  matter  is,  therefore,  now  in  the  hands  of  our 
attorney 

Mr.    William    A,    Comins 

173  Stafford  Street 

Middletown,  Mass. 
All  further  communications  should  be  addressed  to 
him,  for  he  is  in  possession  of  all  of  our  records  to 
date. 


444 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


The  six  letters  below  constitute  an  interesting  series   of 
collection  appeals  based  entirely  upon  precept  and  example. 


A  big  name,  along  with  a  big  policy, 
is  brought  to  bear. 


Marshall  Field  laid  down  as  one  of 
the  requisites  of  success — ^a  recog- 
nition of  the  value  of  time. 

One  good  way  to  save  time  is  to 
dispose  of  all  matters  promptly  as 
they  come  up  for  attention. 

Why  not  do  that  with  the  current 
payment  ?  No  need  to  bother 
writing    a    letter.      Just    sHp    your 

checkfor  % into  the  enclosed 

envelope  and  send  it  along  today. 


2. 

But  if  the  delinquent  has  read 
Pinero's  His  House  in  Order, 
this  letter  may  not  collect. 


An  interesting  photograph  appeared  in 
one  of  the  magazines  last  month. 

It  shows  a  glass  top  desk  clear  of  every- 
thing but  a  telephone.  No  scattered  mass 
of  papers.  No  confusing  jumble  of  pin 
trays,  inkwells,  paste  pots.  Instead,  the 
drawer  space  was  effectively  arranged  to 
provide  a  place  for  everything. 

That  desk  belongs  to  one  of  the  country's 
most  successful  business  men.  He  knows 
the  value  of  holding  a  master  hand  over 
disturbing  details. 

And  that  is  one  reason  for  his  success. 
To  clear  your  own  mind  of  one  detail  now, 

please  mail  your  check  for    $ '. to 

cover  your  current  fee,  in  the  enclosed 
return  envelope. 


445 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


3. 

The  Bard  of  Avon  may  he  turned 
to  any  good  cause  {and  to  either  side 
of  an  issue  !) 


You  know  from  experience  the  truth  of 
Shakespeare's  saying,  "  On  the  great  clock 
of  time  there  is  but  one  word — now." 

When  you  received  our  letter  the  other 
day  reminding  you  of  the  current  payment 
overdue,  you  intended,  of  course,  to  take 
care  of  it  promptly.  But  in  the  press 
of  other  things,  we  suppose  the  matter 
just  slipped  your  mind. 

Please  don't  put  it  off  this  time.  A 
return  envelope  is  inclosed  for  your  con- 
venience in  maihng  us  your    $ ~... 

check  NOW. 


4. 
The  delinquent  has  probably  often 
used  this  very  maxim  himself — 
referring  to  others!  Now  he  finds 
it  effectively  aimed  at  him. 


"  He  who  hesitates  is  lost,"  runs  the  old  ^ 
but  true  motto.     For  unless  we  dispatch  I 
things    promptly    as    they    come    up    for 
attention,   we  are  almost  sure  to   forget 
all  about  them. 

Take  your  own  case  for  instance.  Every- 
time  you  received  one  of  our  reminders  you 
undoubtedly  intended  to  remit  immediately. 
But  your  check  has  not  yet  reached  us. 

Please* don't  "hesitate"  this  time.  Here 
is  an  addressed  envelope  already  for  your 
$ check.    Mail  it  along  now. 


446 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


5. 

In  other  words,  the  busy  man  always 
has  the  time — and  usually  the  money. 


"  It  isn't  the  work  we  do,  but  the  work  we 
don't  do,  that  runs  us  down,"  said  a  well 
known  man  the  other  day. 

And  there's  a  lot  of  truth  in  it. 

For  just  as  soon  as  one  procrastinates  a 
Httle  and  work  begins  to  pile  up,  it  doesn't 
take  any  time  for  one  to  feel  worn  out  from 
the  strain  'and  worry  of  it  all. 

The  best  way  to  prevent  things  from  piling 
up  is  to  dispatch  matters  promptly  as  they 
come  up  for  attention.  Your  current  pay- 
ment of  $ is  up  for  attention. 

Please  send  it  along  today. 


6. 

The  application  could  hardly  he  more  direct 
and  pointed  ;  yet,  no  offense  can  be  taken. 


"  Finish  every  day  and  be  done  with  it," 
is  a  slogan  many  business  houses  make  the 
members  of  their  organization  Uve  up  to. 

It's  a  good  plan,  too ;  for  every  one  knows 
from  experience  that  a  mass  of  detail 
carried  over  from  one  day  to  another 
hinders  good  work. 

One  detail  will  be  off  your  mind  today,  if 

you  send  along  your  check  for  $ to 

cover  the  past  due  payment  on  your 
account. 

Here  is  an  envelope. 


447 


BUSINESS    LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  nineteen  collection  letters  following  go  their  own  way 

about  the  collection  business,  but  they  make  unusually 

forceful  and  unique  appeals,  and  each  one  is  written  from 

the  human  angle. 


Proof  positive,  and  reasonable. 


1. 


Here's  a  duplicate  statement  of  your 
little  unpaid  account.  It's  been  due 
for  some  time. 

Will  you  kindly  send  us  a  check  for 
this  NOW — or  at  least  give  us  some 
idea  of  when  we  can  depend  on  your 
remittance  ? 

Surely  you  will ! 

Then  let  it  come. 


Keeping  it  kindly,  and  making 
it  easy. 


You  must  have  allowed  our  little  bill 
of  $50.  to  sHp  your  memory.  It  was 
due  three  months  ago. 

Knowing  the  just  pride  you  take  in 
your  reputation  for  promptness  I  am 
sure  you'll  appreciate  this  friendly 
reminder. 

Don't  bother  to  write.  I  understand 
how  these  oversights  occur.  Just  pin 
your  check  to  this  letter  and  mail  it 
in  the  enclosed  envelope. 

Thank  you. 


448 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


Chatty  and  good-humored. 


We  were  talking  about  you  in  the 
office  this  morning.  The  bookkeeper 
says  that  httle  bill  of  yours  is  still 

UNPAID  ! 


It's  only   $50. 


You  want  to  be  fair  with  us.  We 
know  that.  And  surely  you  are  easily 
able  to  settle  so  small  an  item. 

Then  just  make  out  your  check  right 
NOW — ^pin    it    to     this     letter    and 

M-A-I-L      I-T. 

Thank  you. 


4. 


Two  good  reasons  why. 


There  must  be  some  good  reason  or 
we'd  had  a  letter  from  you. 

Do  you  realize  that  prompt  payments 
by  our  customers  make  it  possible  for 
us  to  sell  goods  for  less  ?  We  don't 
have  to  make  an  allowance  for  extra 
interest  charges  and  add  a  percentage 
to  all  selling  prices  to  cover  the 
amount.  You  benefit  by  the  lower 
prices. 

Besides,  think  of  the  splendid  credit 
standing  prompt  payments  give  a 
man  !  That's  the  big,  impelling 
reason  for  meeting  your  bills  on  time. 

Will  you  write  us  at  once  ? 


29— (429) 


449 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


5. 

The  argument  re-enforced,  and 
rationalized. 


Your  failure  to  reply  to  ours  of  the  tenth  suggests 
that  you're  "  up  against  it." 

Whether  this  is  your  fault  or  somebody  else's  we 
sincerely  sympathize  with  you.  We  know  how  hard 
it  is  to  catch  up  with  old  bills,  and  how  much  harder 
to  re-establish  a  credit  that  has  been  injured  by 
misfortune  or  neglect. 

Yes,  every  cent  counts  nowadays.  But  you  can 
surely  scrape  up  two  cents  to  buy  a  stamp,  to  write 
and  tell  us  how  it  is. 

You  want  to  serve  your  own  best  interests.  And 
you  surely  recognize  that  your  most  valuable 
possession  in  this  world  is  a  sound,  substantial,  and 

UNQUESTIONED    REPUTATION. 

Save  that — at  all  hazards.    Money — merchandise — 

these  you  can  replace,  but  a  lost  reputation 

That's  a  very  different  matter. 

Invest  a  stamp  and  a  little  of  your  time  in  writing 
us  frankly.  It's  a  good  investment,  and  you'll  find 
us  very  human  folks — glad  to  help  you  anyway 
we  can. 


450 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


6. 

And  now  the  argument  made  concrete. 


Five  minutes  ago  we  had  a  chance  to  do  you 
some  good.  Some  one  is  trying  to  find  out  how 
you  pay  your  bills — probably  some  one  you've 
ordered  some  goods  from.  He  appUed  to  the 
Bradstreet  Rating  Agency,  and  the  Bradstreet 
people  phoned  us  to  know  our  experience. 

What  could  we  tell  them  ?  In  view  of  the  fact 
that  you  still  owe  us  $50.  due  January  20  last — 
three  months  ago  ! 

What  would  you  have  told  them  in  our  place  ? 
Well,  that's  just  what  we  did  tell  them. 

Now  stir  yourself.  Brother.  Send  this  small 
amount  by  return  mail.  Then  we  can  call  up 
the    Rating   Agency   and   say   that   your    account 

with   us   is   CLEAN. 

We'll  be  GLAD  to — soon  as  we  can. 


7. 

Put  yourself  in  our  place,  and  say 
how  you'd  like  it. 


You've  surprised  us  !  And  disappointed 
us  a  bit — 

By  keeping  so  mum   about  that   little 

BILL    YOU    OWE  ! 

And  with  a  concern  of  your  reported 
resources  it  is  hard  for  usito  understand 
why  you  should  need  so  many  reminders. 

You  have  a  store  of  your  own.  Isn't  it 
true  that  some  debtors  are  so  persistently 
slow  that  you  sometimes  wish  that  you'd 
never  given  them  credit  ?  You  know  how 
good  it  feels  when  a  man  pays  up  promptly. 
It  makes  you  feel  like  extending  him 
favors.     Let  us  feel  that  way  about  you. 

We    WANT    TO. 


451 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


8. 

Hammering  it  in,  both  by  content 
and  form,  and  by  the  addition  of  a 
dollar  interest. 


You'll  agree 

Any  man  can  be  fair 

if  he  WANTS  TO  !  Certainly  ! 


And  YOU  WANT  TO. 


YOU  WANT  TO. 


YOU  WANT  TO. 

Then  why  aren't  y'ou  ? 


WHY   aren't    YOU  ? 


why  aren't  you  ? 

Beats  us. 

We  can't  figure  it  out  ! 

'Spose  you  tell  us — come  on- 
We#can  keep  a  secret  !  !  !  !  ! 


Hopefully, 


P.S.— $51. 


452 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


9. 


Everybody's  heard  of  this  maxim, 
even  the  delinquent. 


It  was  David  Harum,  we  believe,  who  remarked 
that  a  certain  amount  of  fleas  is  good  for  a  dog 
because  it  keeps  him  from  worrying  over  being 
a  dog. 

We  all  have  our  worries — some  of  them  imaginary — 
some  of  them  real.  We  have  ours  and  you  doubtless 
have  yours,  but  if  you  had  to  run  a  glove  factory 
and  examine  closely  some  of  our  payrolls  for  labor 
and  leather  this  season,  you'd  appreciate  that 
financing  a  factory  like  this  is  no  Sunday  School 
picnic — not  by  a  long  shot  ! 

Which  gently  leads  us  to  that  little  account  of 
yours  for  $51. 

We  rely  on  your  good  will  to  send  us  a  check  right 
NOW — while  you  have  it  in  mind. 

Thank  you. 


10. 

Just  as  a  matter  of  right  and  justice. 


Yes,  another  statement  ! 

— You  are  tirfd  of  getting  them. 

— It  costs  us  good  money  to  send  them. 

— Let's  save  each  other  a  lot  of  trouble. 
— Mail  that  check  for  $51.  today. 

— You  will  be  saved  more  bother. 
— We  shall  be  saved  time  and  postage. 

— Besides,  it's  the  right  thing  to  do. 

Thank  you. 


453 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


Honest  now,  all  joking  aside. 


11. 


We  are  still  waiting  for  a  reply  to  our  letter. 
More  serious  than  this,  we're  still  waiting 
for  a  remittance. 

You  surely  have  sufficient  personal  pride  to 
protect  your  reputation  for  integrity.  You 
wouldn't  care  to  have  your  customers  know 
that  you  haven't  paid  for  the  gloves  you've 
sold  them  ! 

As  you  know,  this  $51.  is  long  overdue  but 
you  haven't  given  us  any  reason  for  your 
failure  to  pay  up.  If  anything  is  wrong  let 
us  know  at  once.  If  not,  we  shall  expect  you 
to  send  us  a  check  in  full — or  at  least  in 
part — by  return  mail. 

Will  you  kindly  see  that  this  matter  gets 
the  attention  that  it  deserves  ? 


12. 


Just  a  little  threat  between  the  lines. 


Again  your  account  has  come  under  inspection  thru 
our  follow-up  system. 

We'd  be  sorry  to  think  you  are  trying  to  evade 
payment.  However,  that  is  the  conclusion  we  must 
come  to  if  you  continue  to  leave  our  letters  lying  on 
your  desk  unanswered. 

Surely  you  want  to  keep  your  credit  perfectly 
clear.  The  only  way  to  do  this,  as  you  well  know, 
is  to  pay  your  bills  promptly.  Any  delay  injures 
YOU  much  more  than  it  inconveniences  us.  For  it 
puts  a  black  mark  on  your  credit  standing  which 
you  may  not  find  it  easy  to  overcome  later  on. 

A  reputation  for  being  "  slow  pay  "  injures  your 
standing  with  your  creditors  and  with  your  neighbors, 
and  it's  a  mighty  hard  thing  to  live  down. 

We  must  have  your  check  by  the  first. 


454 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


13. 

The  second  degree  of  threat. 


You  can't  enjoy  being  dunned. 


You  can't  feel  any  pride  in  being  classed  among  the 
undesirables. 


You  can't  afford  to  lose  the  high  degree  of  self- 
respect  that  a  clean  record  gives  a  man. 


Your  reputation  is  entirely  too  good  to  risk  the 
stain  that  now  threatens  it,  thru  rank  carelessness 
and  neglect  on  your  part. 

Your  bill  of  $51.  is  due,  and  long  past  due.  This 
may  remain  confidential  between  us  two,  if  settled  by 
May  1.  If  it  is  not  paid  by  then,  the  loss  of 
standing  you  are  bound  to  suffer  will  be  chargeable 
to 

Y-O-U      A-L-O-N-E. 


You  can't  afford  to  neglect  this  another  minute. 
Mail  us  a  check  now.    Delay  is  dangerous. 


455 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


14. 

Threat — three  times,  and  done  ! 


Neglect  of  any  bill  is  a  serious  matter  in  present 
day  business.  Your  neglect  of  your  account  for 
$51.  calls  for  a  hint  that  I  think  you'll  undoubtedly 
appreciate. 

You  must  know  that  the  manufacturers  and  jobbers 
of  the  country  have  completed  an  organization  for 
mutual  protection,  thru  which  the  standing  and 
rating  of  their  customers  are  given.  When  a  man 
refuses  to  pay  a  just  claim  his  name  is  passed 
AROUND  among  the  members  of  the  Association. 
You  must  know  this,  Mr.  Smith. 

This  puts  us  in  a  very  embarrassing  position  regarding 
your  delinquency.  We  know  that  a  report  to  this 
Association  is  a  step  you  would  take  every  pre- 
caution TO  AVOID — as  such  a  humiliating  record 
would  be  intolerable  to  a  man  of  your  recognized 
standing. 

Yet  our  obligation  to  this  Association  forces  this 
report  from  us  as  soon  as  an  account  reaches  a  certain 
age  on  our  books.  We  have  no  choice  whatever, 
much  as  we  should  prefer  to  do  otherwise  in  your 
particular  case.  Now  the  time  has  come  when  we 
must  make  this  report  in  the  event  of  any  delay  on 
your  part  after  May  1 . 

A  reasonable  payment,  should  you  find  it  impossible 
to  pay  the  whole  bill,  will  relieve  both  you  and  us. 

Do  not  fail  to  realize  that  a  very  prompt  reply  is 
necessary.  Write  us  without  delay  telling  just  what 
you  are  prepared  to  do. 


P.S. — To  make  sure  this  is  brought  to  your 
personal  attention  I  take  the  trouble  to  send  this 
letter  by  registered  mail — and  I  look  for  your  reply 

AT    ONCE. 


456 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


15. 

The  collection  agency  takes  charge. 


What  about  that  claim  of  the Company 

for   $51.  ? 

They  assured  us  that  the  account  was  correct, 
and  also  added  that  you  were  on  the  square  and 
would  pay  as  soon  as  you  got  notice  from  this 
office. 

Don't  you  owe  this  bill  ?  Our  information  is  that 
you  DO  and  that  you  could  have  paid  it  long  before 
this. 

Is  that  a  FACT  ? 

Do  YOU  THINK  YOU  ARE  TAKING  THE  HONORABLE 
COURSE   IN    THUS    POSTPONING    PAYMENT  ?       ArE   YOU 

TREATING AS  YOU'd  WANT  TO  BE  TREATED  ? 

A-R-E       Y-O-U  ? 

Now  what's  WRONG THE  BILL,  Or  YOU  ? 

We  want  to  know,  and  by  return  mail. 


16. 

And  the  agency  tries  again. 


We  are  surprised  to  have  no  answer  to  our  recent 

explicit    letter    regarding    the Company 

claim  of  $51.  placed  in  our  hands  for  collection. 

We  have  special  instructions  from  our  clients  to 
give  you  every  chance  to  settle  this  claim  without 
resort  to  harsh  or  unusual  methods — ^however  justified 
by  neglect  and  indifference  on  your  part.  Our  clients 
also  ask  us  for  an  accurate  report  relative  to  your 
worthiness  for  further  credit. 

Send  quickly  a  remittance  in  settlement  and  thus 
repair  any  injury  to  your  credit  standing  that 
possible  oversight  may  have  unnecessarily  occasioned. 

Kindly  have  the  courtesy  to  give  this  your  careful, 
considerate  attention — at  once. 


P.S. — Send   your   check  in   the   enclosed   addressed 
envelope  to  the Company  direct. 


457 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


17. 

Nobody  wants  to  be  blacklisted. 


Our  "  Directory  of  Undesirable  Accounts  "  is  now 
being  compiled  and  soon  goes  to  press. 

This  Directory  is  what  the  name  suggests — ^in  that 
it  contains  a  brief  history  of  accounts  that  are 
considered  questionable  and  that  are  not  recommended 
for  credit. 


Manufacturers    and    jobbers    thruout    the    country 
have  access  to  this  book  and  are  guided  accordingly. 


In    going  over  our  records  we  find   an  account  of 

the Company  against  you  which  for  some 

reason  remains  unpaid.  We  beheve  you  will  agree 
that  we  have  been  very  lenient  and  have  given  you 
every  possible  chance  to  clear  yourself  of  this. 

We  do  not  want  to  do  you  an  injustice.  We  prefer 
to  think  the  account  has  not  been  taken  care  of 
because  of  some  unavoidable  circumstance.  So  we 
want  to  give  you  one  more  chance  to  set  yourself 
right.  By  this  plan  your  account  will  not  appear  in 
our  Directory  List.  We  assure  you  we  do  nol^ 
want  to  do  an  honest  man  injustice  in  any  way. 

Kindly  let  us  hear  from  you  immediately. 

P.S. — ^We  have  not  yet  entered  the  account  in  our 
BAD  DEBT  rccord,  and  will  hold  it  a  few  days  to  give 
you  a  chance  to  settle. 


458 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


18. 


The  agency  also  accentuates  the 
reason-why  process. 


Do  you  know  that  the  non-payment  of  this  small 
account  will  become  a  record  against  you  ?  a  black 
mark  on  your  reputation  that  you'll  find  hard  to 
explain  ? 


We  are  sorry  to  injure  any  one's  credit,  but  for  the 
protection  of  the  manufacturers  and  jobbers  who  are 
our  clients,  we  must  report  all  merchants  who  fail 
to  pay  their  just  obUgations. 


Good  credit  in  the  markets  of  the  world  enables  you 
to  add  to  your  ability  to  do  business.  It  gives  you 
the  use  of  enlarged  capital  and  so  enables  you  to 
carry  a  more  complete  stock,  increase  your  sales, 
and  augment  your  profits. 


You  may  not  need  credit  today.     In  fact  you  may 

NEVER  need   credit  from  the  Company 

again.  But  some  day  you'll  need  credit  from  some  one 
— need  it  badly.  Then  you'll  find  to  your  sorrow  that 
credit  is  a  delicate  thing — easily  injured — and  mighty 
hard  to  rebuild. 


Your  better  judgment  should  prompt  you  to  pay 
this  claim  at  once,  as  our  report  goes  forward  on 
the  first. 


459 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


19. 


Just  a  little  indication  that  the  worst 
is  about  to  happen. 


We  can  hardly  believe  that  you  will  allow  us  to  use 
extreme  measures  in  order  to  collect  the  claim  of 
the Company  for  $51. 


Honesty  is  the  best  policy.  Always  was  !  Can 
you  afford  to  risk  your  good  reputation  for  the  sake 
of  such  a  small  sum  ? 


If  the  debt  is  an  exact  one  you  should  make  every 
effort  to  pay  it.  If  it  is  not  a  just  claim,  you  do 
not  want  to  pay  it,  and  we  should  not  expect  you  to. 


We  want  to  settle  this  account  in  an  easy  and 
amicable  way.  Giving  publicity  to  it  would  not 
help  us  any,  nor  would  it  be  very  pleasant  for  you. 


Let  us  be  fair  with  each  other. 
Send  us  your  check  today 


Or  if  for  any  reason  you  cannot  send  it  today,  be 
very  sure  to  write  us  and  tell  us  plainly  just  when  we 
may  look  for  it. 


460 


SELLING  SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 

A. 
A  strong  appeal  for  those  everlasting  dues. 


Good  morning.     Here's  news  ! 

Last  year  we  spent  nearly  $50.  of  your  hard-earned 
cash  and  a  good  many  hours  of  our  more  or  less 
valuable  time  sending  out  statements  of  Club  dues. 
Don't  dodge,  this  letter  goes  to  those  who  paid 
promptly. 

This  year,  suppose  everybody  should  be  thoughtful 
and  send  the  little  three  dollars  on  the  first  notice — 
the  one  you  hold  in  your  hand  !  Then  no  others  would 
be  necessary  !  And  we'd  save  time  and  money — our 
time  and  your  money. 

The  Colorado  Mountain  Club  is  doing  a  lot  of  good 
work  for  you  in  these  mountains  of  ours.  We  are 
exploring  the  gulches, mapping  the  lakes,  and  charting 
the  way  to  the  highest  peaks.  We  are  spending  money 
to  equip  shelters  in  the  high  hills — stout  log  shelters 
built  by  Uncle  Sam  for  you  and  us.  We  are  helping 
build  trails,  extend  parks,  and  improve  roads.  We 
are  doing  more  than  any  other  single  agency  to  save 
the  birds  and  the  flowers  for  you  and  others  to  enjoy. 

Good  work  ?    Seems  so  to  us. 

To  succeed,  we  must  be  backed  by  a  membership 
large,  intelligent,  and  united.  Otherwise  the  work 
will  be  crippled.  We  need  the  hiker  and  the  botanist 
and  the  naturaHst — the  folks  who  are  up  at  the  front 
''  mixing  "  with  nature.  They're  important.  But 
the  Club  simply  must  have  the  concentrated  backing 
of  hundreds  of  mountain -lovers  who  perhaps  never 
get  into  uniform — the  great  Common  People  of  the 
Club,  if  you  want  to  put  it  that  way.  They  are  the 
backbone  of  the  whole  enterprise,  the  solid  foundation 
which  makes  everything  possible. 

Just  think  how  small  a  sum  is  three  dollars  !  And 
so  EASILY  SENT  !    Will  you  'tend  to  it — right  away  ? 

Thank  you. 

461 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


B. 

And  a  follow-up  featuring  some  of  the 
best  paragraphs  of  the  previous  letter. 


What  became  of  the  Army 

whose     BACKERS      Q-U-I-T  ? 

The  Colorado  Mountain  Club  is  doing  a  lot  of  good 
work  for  you  in  these  mountains  of  ours.  We  are 
exploring  the  gulches,  mapping  the  lakes,  and  chart- 
ing the  way  to  the  highest  peaks.  We  are  spending 
money  to  equip  shelters  in  the  high  hills — stout  log 
shelters  built  by  Uncle  Sam  for  you  and  us.  We  are 
helping  build  trails,  extend  parks,  and  improve  roads. 
We  are  doing  more  than  any  other  single  agency  to 
save  the  birds  and  the  flowers  for  you  and  others  to 
enjoy. 

Good  work  ?     Seems  so  to  us. 

To  succeed,  we  must  be  backed  by  a  membership 
large,  intelUgent,  and  united.  Otherwise  the  work 
will  be  crippled.  We  need  the  hiker  and  the  botanist 
and  the  naturaHst — the  folks  who  are  up  at  the  front 
"  mixing  "  with  nature.  They're  important.  But  the 
Club  simply  must  have  the  concentrated  backing  of 
hundreds  of  mountain-lovers  who  perhaps  never  get 
into  uniform — the  great  Common  People  of  the  Club, 
if  you  want  to  put  it  that  way .  They  are  the  backbone 
of  the  whole  enterprise,  the  solid  foundation  which 
makes  everything  possible. 

The  Board  of  Directors  has  asked  us  to  write  you. 
Some  one  has  whispered  that  you  are  not  interested  in 
the  Club  and  its  work  any  more — that  you  cannot 
often  "  get  out,"  and  so  think  you  get  nothing  from 
the  Club  and  feel  you  are  doing  no  good  !  We  haven't 
an  idea  how  this  absurd  story  got  about  (one  can  never 
account  for  scandal)  but  you  can  very  easily  shame 
it  to  death — ^your  check  for  $  covering  all  dues 
including  this  year  will  turn  the  trick. 

The  sun  shines  in  this  year  of  our  Lord.  Spring  is  in 
the  tinghng  air.  We  need  you,  and  surely  you  need 
us.  "  Carry  on  " — and  bring  in  others  who  love 
bright  flowers,  happy  birds,  sparkling  skies,  roaring 
streams,  and  huge  companionable  hills. 


462 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


The  three  letters  below  constitute  a  humorous  exchange 

of  collection  civility,  and  illustrate  "  how  not  to  say  it  " 

in  collection  correspondence. 


Derisive  and  evasive. 


1. 


Really,  you  know,  your  letters  aren't  so 
bad.  They're  amusing  in  their  way. 
Indeed,  I  might  almost  call  them  enter- 
taining, I  suppose. 

I  am  leaving  for  Europe  in  a  few  days,  and 
I  write  to  send  you  my  European  address 
in  order  that  my  absence  may  not  deprive 
me  of  your  epistolary  palaver. 

Incidentally,  I  don't  suppose  the  sight  of 
your  receipted  bill  would  do  anything  by 
way  of  checking  the  frenzied  fluency  of  your 
financial  phraseology.  You  simply  have 
to  work  your  collection  series  ofi  on  some- 
body, I  can  see  that,  so  it  might  as  well  be 

Yours  collectedly. 


Decisive  and  conclusive. 


We're  as  unbluffable  as  we  are  unpaid, 
kind  lady. 

If,  as  you  say,  you  can  show  us  the 
receipted  bill  for  the  money  we  still  think 
you  owe  us,  why,  we'll  order  the  Prince  of 
Wales  to  call  for  it,  and  hand  you  a  gold- 
mounted,  platinum-framed,  diamond- 
studded  certificate  of  acknowledgment. 
We  can  afford,  you  see,  to  have  the  whole 
affair  carried  off  in  style. 

Thanks  for  the  European  address.  We  shall 
have  some  one  at  the  gangway  to  wish  you 
hon  voyage.  And  perhaps  there  will  be 
some  one  else  on  the  other  side  to  welcome 
you  when  you  trip  entrancingly  down  to 
good  old  terra  firma  again. 

Yours  coUectingly, 


463 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


3. 

And  again,  derisive  and  evasive. 


Why,  the  very  idea  ! 

I  never  said  that  I  could  show  you  a  receipted  bill. 
Nothing  could  have  been  further  from  my  mind. 

I  simply  said  that  I  supposed  the  sight  of  a  receipted 
bill  would  not  deprive  me  of  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
from  you  occasionally. 

Your  last  letter  offends  me.  It  seems  to  imply  that 
I  do  not  intend  to  pay  you.  I  wouldn't  have  you 
think  that  for  the  world.  Perish  the  thought  !  We 
have  been  corresponding  too  long  now  (or  you  have) 
to  permit  any  breach  in  our  pleasant  relationship  to 
occur  at  this  advanced  date  ! 

The  fact  is,  there  are  two  or  three  corrections  to  be 
made  in  the  bill  and  I  meant  to  return  it  to  you  to 
have  them  made  before  I  sailed.  But  in  the  rush 
and  tumble  of  getting  away,  and  everything,  I  just 
didn't  get  it  done. 

But  i'm  enclosing  it  in  this,  and  sending  it  off  by 
pilot  at  Sandy  Hook. 

Sorry  to  have  missed  your  man  at  the  gangway. 
There  was  such  a  crowd  !  But  it  was  too  thoughtful 
of  you  !  And  that  idea  about  the  Prince  is  terribly 
ripping  ! 

Ta  !    Ta  ! 

Still  collectedly, 


P.S. — O  dear,  I  do  hope  I'm  not  going  to  be  seasick 


464 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


The  following  collection  series  has  an  enviable  record  to 
its  credit.  Sent  to  over  four  hundred  accounts,  it  achieved 
about  a  seventy- five  per  cent  return,  and  paved  the  way  for 
the  successful  treatment  of  the  remaining  twenty- five  per  cent. 

First  Month. 


Please  observe  that 

Your 

account 

is   annotated 

on    our   books    " 

Not 

Paid.' 

'     Won't 

you   tell  us. 

please, 

what  you 

are 

going 

to   do   about  it,   what 

you'd 

like  us  to 

do 

about  it  ? 

Second  Month. 


And  again  we  ask  you 

To  send  us  your  check  in  settlement  of  the  small 
amount  now  two  months  overdue  against  your 
account  with  us.  Or  at  least,  let  us  know  why  there 
should  be  any  departure  from  your  usual  poUcy  of 
prompt  payment — Please  ? 


Third  Month. 


Patience  is  a  virtue,  but 

There's  a  limit  !  Some  of  our  people  are  getting — 
well — ^not  impatient,  perhaps,  but  certainly  restless. 
Why  haven't  you  let  us  hear  from  you  ?  What  can 
be  the  matter  ?  Please  do  not  delay  longer  sending 
your  check,  or  there's  no  telling  what  may  happen 
in  our  accounting  department.  Why  not  send  us 
your  check  right  along  with  your  next  order,  which 
is  now  also  due  ? 


465 

30— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Fourth  Month. 


Three  times,  and — out. 

Or  diction  to  that  effect.  Tennyrate,  this  is  just 
about  and  well  nigh  the  last  call.  We  cannot  afford 
to  wait  any  longer — nor  can  you.  We  want  your 
check,  of  course.  But  we  want  most  of  all  your 
reason-why  copy  in  explanation  of  this  extraordinary 
delay  in  making  payment.  This,  too,  is  due  us,  and 
overdue.  And  you  owe  it  first  of  all  and  most  of 
all  to  yourself  to  say  why — why — WHY — you're 
making  us  wait.     We're  watching  for  the  postman  ! 


Fifth  Month. 


Dear  Mr.  Tonkin 

1.  You  may  have  been  ill.  You  may  have  been 
away.  You  may  have  been  absorbed  with  new 
business.  You  may  just  have  forgotten — that 
little  hill  of  ours.  We  don't  know  what  has 
happened,  and  we're  not  in  a  position  to  prog- 
nosticate. We  hope  that  only  the  best  things  of 
life  have  been  happening  to  you  and  yours,  even  tho 
they  haven't  been  coming  our  way  particularly 
strongly  the  past  four  months. 

2.  But  no  hard  feelings.  Won't  you  please,  however, 
just  tuck  your  check  for  $328.  into  the  enclosed 
stamped  envelope  ?  This  will  set  us  all  at  ease, 
and  verify  the  fact  that  God's  still  in  His  heavens 
and  all's  right  with  the  world.  Note,  please,  that 
we  are  not  asking  you  to  pay  the  interest  that 
has  accrued.  The  above  figure  represents,  as  your 
books  will  show,  the  actual,  bone-dry,  original ' 
indebtedness,  and  nothin'  more.     It's  your  move, 

THANK    YOU. 

Cordially  yours 


466 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


Sixth  Month. 


Dear  Mr.  Tonkin 


It's  not  easy,  you'll  admit,  to  write  collection 
letters  in  tandem  to  one  who  is  highly  esteemed. 
Yet  this  seems  to  be  exactly  the  situation  that 
confronts  us.  We  like  you  and  we  esteem  our  past 
relationship  with*  you  very  highly  indeed.  Yet, 
here  we  are,  notifying  you  for  the  sixth  time  that 
you  ought  to  settle  with  us  !    It's  uncanny  ! 


2.  We  thought  that  you  would  of  course  respond  to  our 
last  appeal.  Nothing  has  happened  yet,  but  we're 
still  expectantly  and  optimistically  waiting.  It 
seems  to  us  that  it  just  can't  be  that  you've 
received  all  these  notices  from  us  and  still  insist 
upon  remaining  cold  and  indifferent  to  our  argu- 
ments. We've  put  our  very  best  into  the  com- 
position of  these  appeals,  just  as  we've  always  done 
in  extending  our  business  service  to  you.  But  up 
to  this  very  minute — 3.41  p.m.,  October  18,  1930 — 
we  have  not  been  paid  the  $328.  that  you  owe  us  for 
full  value  received. 


3.  So,  now,  again  we  ask  you  :  Please  give  a  check- 
book THOUGHT  TO  US,  THAT  WE  MAY  CONTINUE  OUR 
PLEASANT  BUSINESS  RELATIONSHIP  WITH  YOU  IN 
THE    SAME    OLD    WAY. 


Cordially  yours 


467 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Seventh  Month. 


Dear  Mr.  Tonkin 

1.  This  must  be  made  a  first-personal,  ego-I  letter,  if 
you  don't  mind.  Certainly  the  editorial  plural  I 
have  been  using  in  addressing  you,  has  not  reached 
you.  Now  I  want  to  get  straight  down  to  clear-cut 
man-to-man,  you-and-i  copy.  And  if  this  doesn't 
work,  then  I'm  going  to  do  what  our  collection 
manager  recommended  last  month — ^hand  your 
case  over  to  our  attorneys. 

2.  He  honestly  urged  me  to  do  this — argued  with  me 
about  it.  He's  been  angry  with  me  ever  since, 
because  I  "  stood  him  off  "  and  told  him  you  are 
absolutely  O.K.  and  will  pay  !  And  I  honestly 
believe  you  will.  I've  spent  a  good  part  of  my  life 
judging  men.  I  think  I've  judged  you  aright.  I 
think  our  collection  manager  has  misjudged  you. 
But  these  matters  remain  to  be  proved.  Are  you 
going  to  prove  that  I  am  correct,  or  are  you  going 
to  give  him  the  Right-O  ?  If  the  latter  is  to  be 
your  course,  then  I'm  inadequate  and  inefficient 
and  inconsistent  and  in-wrong  !  And — I  probably 
lose  my  job.     But  that's  a  detail. 

3.  The  point  is,  I  want  you  to  pay  for  your  own  sake, 
Mr.  Tonkin,  not  for  mine.  I  want  you  to  pay  just 
because  you  are  you,  and  for  no  other  reason 
under  the  sun.  Forget  all  of  my  poor  little 
attempts  to  entertain  you  with  my  collection  per- 
siflage. They  don't  count — haven't  counted,  at 
least.  But  the  things  that  do  count,  are  your 
standing  with  the  world,  with  the  firm  I  have  the 
privilege  to  represent,  and  with  yourself.  I  refuse 
to  believe  that  you  are  wilHng  to  allow  this  indebt- 
edness to  go  a  minute  longer.  I  refuse  to  believe 
that  your  financial  conscience  has  become  callous 
and  careless  and  castaway. 

4.  I  BELIEVE  THAT  YOU  WILL  SIT  DOWN  THIS  VERY 
MINUTE  AND  WRITE  US  A  CHECK  FOR  $328.  OF 
YOUR   VERY   OWN   SWEET   WILL   AND    ACCORD  ! 

Faithfully  yours 


468 


SELLING   SOLVENCY  BY  LETTER 


PRACTICE 

1.  Write  a  collection  letter  to  be  sent  to  those  members  of  a 
club  who  are  habitually  delinquent  in  the  payment  of  dues.  Try 
to  Unk  your  arguments  up  with  some  current  event,  or  with  the 
delinquent's  special  interests. 

2.  Write  a  collection  letter  to  be  sent  to  people  who  have  bought 
a  piano  or  a  set  of  books  or  some  other  commodity,  on  the  instalment 
plan,  and  who  are  habitually  delinquent  in  making  their  periodic 
payments.  Try  to  link  your  arguments  up  with  some  apt  quotations 
from  literature. 

3.  You  are  employed  in  the  collection  department  of  a  large 
department  shop.  You  have  been  assigned  to  take  charge  of  two 
classes  of  accounts,  those  that  are  sixty  days  overdue,  and  those 
that  are  ninety  days  overdue.  Compose  letters  to  be  sent  to  these 
two  classes  of  delinquents.  Be  able  to  justify  the  differences 
between  the  kinds  of  appeals  used. 

4.  Two  statements  and  one  letter  have  been  sent  to  Mrs.  James 
Forbes,  who  owes  you  $150.  for  merchandise  bought  three  months 
ago.  Your  terms  are  thirty  days  net,  and  Mrs.  Forbes  knows  it, 
for  you  have  had  occasion  to  inform  her  of  this  fact  before.  She 
always  pays  you — eventually,  but  never  does  so  on  time.  Write 
her  a  personal  letter  now,  explaining  that  you  must  have  a  settlement 
of  her  account.     But  be  sure  to  retain  her  good-will. 

5.  You  have  taken  over  the  Busy  Bee  Emporium  in  the  heart 
of  Centerville,  Pa.,  and  are  trying  to  collect  outstanding  accounts. 
In  a  brief  analysis  of  these  accounts  left  with  you  by  the  former 
management  of  the  Busy  Bee  Emporium,  you  find  the  debtors 
classified  roughly  as  follows  : 

— Well-to-do  but  slow-paying  customers. 
— Workers  without  a  cent  after  Monday  morning. 
— Easy-going  and  doubtful  but  willing  customers. 
— Unfortunates  in  the  recent  city  fire. 

Write  a  collection  letter  to  be  sent  to  each  of  these  four  groups. 
Be  able  to  justify  differences  and  similarities  of  appeal  among  the 
four  letters. 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


6.  You  are  chairman  of  the  employees'  welfare  committee  of 
your  firm.  Each  employee  pledged  himself  for  $5.  three  months 
ago  for  the  annual  outing.  The  outing  has  come  and  gone,  and 
still  many  members  have  not  paid  the  promised  fee.  The  treasurer 
met  the  expenses  of  the  outing  by  drawing  upon  reserve  funds. 
Write  a  letter  to  those  employees  who  have  not  yet  paid  up.  Make 
it  strong  human-interest,  esprit  de  corps  appeal,  and  incidentally 
present  a  few  facts  and  figures  furnished  by  your  treasurer,  whose 
slogan  is,  you  may  remind  them,  fair  financial  play. 

7.  Two  months  ago  your  bank  made  a  loan  of  $3000.  to  Mr. 
James  Griswold  on  the  basis  of  securities  furnished  by  him.  One 
month  ago  the  loan  was  increased  to  $5000.  on  receipt  of  additional 
securities.  The  time  limit  on  the  first  loan  was  six  months  ;  on 
the  second,  five  months.  Interest  was  to  be  six  per  cent.  Seven 
and  a  half  months  have  elapsed,  and  the  loan  has  not  been  satisfied. 
Moreover,  at  least  half  of  the  securities  held  by  your  bank  in  sub- 
stantiation of  Mr.  Griswold's  loan  have  deteriorated  considerably, 
owing  to  upheavals  in  the  market.  In  the  ntime  of  the  bank,  write 
a  strong  letter  to  Mr.  Griswold  demanding  settlement  of  his  obligation. 

8.  You  have  sent  statements  and  reminders  and  requests  and 
letters  to  a  certain  furniture  company  in  an  effort  to  collect  on 
special  advertising  it  ran  in  your  paper  during  a  week  of  low-price 
sales.  But  you  have  not  collected,  because  the  furniture  company 
claims  that  the  advertising  was  not  placed  according  to  contract, 
that  the  make-up  was  confused  and  unattractive,  and  that  the 
sales  features  for  certain  days  were  not  advertised  until  too  late 
for  results.  It  claims  also  that  the  circulation  of  your  paper  is 
not  so  high  as  you  represented  it  to  be  when  the  advertising  was 
contracted  for.  You  are  willing,  for  the  sake  of  getting  the  collec- 
tion settled,  to  compromise  with  the  furniture  company  on  some 
of  these  claims,  but  not  regarding  your  circulation.  Your  circu- 
lation books  are  open.  Write  the  furniture  company  a  strong 
final  letter  demanding  settlement. 

9.  Your  records  show  that  Mrs.  Willard  J.  Harding  has  owed 
you  $100.  for  six  months.  She  claims  that  she  paid  this  bill  when 
due.  There  has  been  a  rapid-fire  correspondence  between  you, 
you  trying  to  collect  and  she  (as  you  think)  trying  to  evade  pay- 
ment. One  day  she  calls  at  your  ofiice  and  shows  to  your  secretary 
her  voucher  bearing,  of  course,  the  endorsement  of  your  firm  in  black 


470 


SELLING   SOLVENCY   BY   LETTER 


and  white.  Reproduce  four  of  the  letters  in  the  early  part  of  this 
collection  correspondence  series.  Write  in  the  name  of  your  firm 
an  apology  to  Mrs.  Harding  for  the  annoyance  and  inconvenience 
you  must  have  caused  her.  Let  these  five  letters  tell  the  sequential 
story  of  your  misunderstanding  with  Mrs.  Harding. 

10.  Eight  months  ago  Mr.  Henry  Harrington,  85  Griggs  Avenue, 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  borrowed  $800.  from  your  bank,  for  a  period 
of  six  months  at  six  per  cent.  He  wanted  the  money  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  fifty  shares  of  Atlantic  Gulf  and  West  Indies 
Oil  stock,  a  security  that  was  conceded  at  the  time  to  have  a  great 
future.  He  put  up  as  collateral  one  hundred  shares  of  United 
States  Rubber  Common  and  the  fifty  shares  of  Atlantic  Gulf  and 
West  Indies  Oil.  Up  to  the  time  of  this  arrangement  Mr. 
Harrington's  dealings  with  your  bank  had  always  been  satisfactory. 

Let  us  assume  that,  at  the  end  of  seven  months,  both  United 
States  Rubber  and  Atlantic  Gulf  and  West  Indies  are  considerably 
below  par.  You  have  learned  that  Mr.  Harrington's  checking 
account  at  a  local  New  Haven  bank  has  been  overdrawn,  and  that 
he  ha^  also  recently  mortgaged  his  New  Haven  business  as  heavily 
as  possible.  Let  us  also  assume  that  you  have  written  him  two 
letters  regarding  his  standing,  the  first  of  which  was  not  answered 
at  all  and  the  second  unsatisfactorily  answered. 

Write  Mr.  Harrington  a  strong  third  letter  insisting  upon  the 
immediate  clarification  of  his  financial  responsibility,  and  indicating 
exactly  what  policy  you  intend  to  adopt  in  regard  to  his  indebtedness 
to  and  relations  with  you. 


471 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


BUSINESS    LETTER    SERVICE 

BostoD  New  York  Philadelphia  Chicago 

November  12.  1930 

Messrs.  Carr  and  Doe 
Attomeys-at-Law 
31  Gray  Street 
Memphis.  Tenn. 

Gentlemen 

The  prim  and  erect  appearance  of  this  letter  is  due  to  the 
single  margin.  All  lines  of  all  parts  begin  on  the  same 
lefthand  margin.     There  are  no  indentions  anywhere 

This  is  a  radical  form  of  letter  picture,  but  it  is  certainly 
convenient  for  the  typist.  She  need  not  concern  herself 
with  the  annoying  business  of  centering  and  otherwise 
adjusting   parts.     She  may.  therefore,  work  more  rapidly 

There  is  danger,  however,  in  a  letter  of  this  style,  of  pro- ' 
ducing  an  out-of-balance  effect,  especially  if  the  last  lines 
of  paragraphs  contain  but  a  word  or  two 

The  tendency  to  eliminate  all  unnecessary  punctuation 
that  nearly  always  accompanies  innovations  in  letter  writ- 
ing, is  noticeable  here.  This  is  logical,  if  unconventional. 
Why  place  a  period  at  the  end  of  a  letter  paragraph  when 
the  last  sentence  is  neither  a  question  nor  an  exclamation? 

Cordially  yours 


^/n^  ^  ^^^ifc<^ 


John  B.  Opdycke 


472 


CHAPTER  IX 
SELLING  BY  CIRCULAR 

A  chic  design,  a  dapper  seal, 

A  mere  insinuation, 
Are  often  subtler  sales  appeal 

Than  long  argumentation. 

Folders,  booklets,  circulars,  postcards,  broadsides,  notices, 
prospectuses,  inserts,  enclosures,  announcements,  processed  sales 
letters — all  belong  under  the  heading  of  direct-mail  matter.  The 
differences  that  exist  among  them  in  form  and  content  are  indicated 
with  sufficient  accuracy  by  the  names  themselves.  Nice  distinc- 
tions are  seldom  insisted  upon  in  their  use.  Circular,  for  instance, 
is  loosely  used  to  indicate  a  folder  or  a  notice,  or,  perhaps,  even 
a  booklet.  But  strictly  speaking,  a  folder  is  a  form  that  is  folded 
like  a  timetable.  A  prospectus  is  a  form  that  allows  of  bird's- 
eye-view  map  or  diagram.  A  broadside  is  a  form  consisting  of  a 
large  sheet  of  paper  or  card  board,  printed  on  one  side  only  and 
calculated  to  duplicate  the  work  of  the  large  bulletin  board,  under 
close-up  conditions.  And  so  on.  The  contents  of  this  brief  section 
deal  chiefly  with  such  pieces  of  direct-mail  matter  as  are  mailable 
in  letter  envelopes  of  conventional  sizes.  Nothing  more  than 
general  treatment  is  given,  inasmuch  as  the  subject  belongs  to 
advertising  and  sales  literature,  and  this  volume  is  concerned  with 
a  discussion  of  business  letter  writing.  Reports,  petitions,  and 
resolutions  are  touched  upon  at  the  end  of  the  section  principally 
because  of  convenience  of  placement.  They  cannot,  of  course,  be 
classed  strictly  as  direct-mail  matter ;  yet  they  are  not  entirely 
unrelated. 

— Make  it  useful. 

— Make  it  attractive. 

— Make  it  interesting. 

These  are  the  three  fundamentals  to  be  observed  in  the  con- 
struction of  any  kind  of  advertising  card  or  circular.  They  apply 
particularly  to  letter  enclosures,  for  such  pieces  have  a  certain 
"  fly-away  "  characteristic  because  of  their  small  and  detached 
form.  If  an  insert  can  be  used,  if  it  impresses  on  sight,  if  it 
interests  both  by  fact  and  by  format,  then  its  "  fluttering  looseness  " 

473 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


and  its  triviality  of  size  may  be  completely  negatived.  Blotters, 
maps,  calendars,  and  the  like  are  useful.  Colors  and  pictures, 
headlines  and  stories  are  attractive  and  interesting.  Therefore, 
employ  these  in  large  measure  in  your  enclosure  copy. 

Enclosures  of  any  kind  should  be  brief  in  content  and  artistic 
in  make-up.  Color  and  display  device  are  decided  assets  by  way 
of  impressiveness.  The  copy  itself  should  be  typographically  clear 
and  arresting,  and  the  message  it  conveys  should  have  in  it  a  note 
or  quality  that  makes  for  permanence.  The  motto  insert,  enclosed 
in  a  dignified  border  and  artistically  but  lucidly  lettered,  is  much 
more  likely  to  get  itself  propped  against  an  inkwell  or  a  book  on 
a  busy  man's  desk,  than  the  leaflet  that  shows  nothing  but  a  list 
of  prices  tabulated  under  a  headline.  Fra  Albertus  achieved  the 
ideal  in  the  use  of  the  motto  insert,  as  he  did  in  so  many  other 
departments  of  both  direct  and  indirect  sales  literature.  The  aim 
in  the  construction  of  insert  copy  is  primarily  to  remind  of  or  to 
call  the  attention  to,  and  at  the  same  time  to  impress.  To  do  the 
first  of  these,  namely,  to  hint,  it  must  be  short ;  to  do  the  second, 
namely,  to  impress,  it  must  have  lasting  and  distingue  charac- 
teristics. The  insert  that  is  thrown  into  the  wastebasket  along 
with  the  envelope  in  which  it  arrives,  represents  waste  indeed. 
The  insert  that  begets  at  least  a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  recipient 
to  save  it,  or  to  slip  it  into  his  pocket  for  future  perusal,  is  a  better 
investment. 

Probably  the  most  effective,  and  certainly  the  most  appropriate 
letter  inserts  are  those  that  in  shape  exactly  fit  the  envelope  in 
which  the  letter  is  sent,  that  in  form  require  the  least  unfolding, 
that  in  size  or  bulk  are  not  so  heavy  as  to  require  extra  postage  or 
make  the  communication  take  on  "  uncomely  adipose."  Anything 
larger  than  a  four,  six,  or  eight  page  booklet,  envelope  shape  and 
size,  may  both  truly  and  ironically  be  called  an  envelope  stuffer. 
Many  of  the  best  houses  use  only  the  single  slip-in,  or  the  more 
formal  four-page  insert.  For  pure  publicity  purposes,  the  briefer 
the  insert  the  better.  For  purposes  of  keeping  the  prospect  or 
customer  informed  of  prices,  order  numbers,  service  branches,  and 
the  like,  a  more  elaborate  style  of  copy  may  be  found  necessary. 
The  best  and  most  profitable  usage  has  proved  that  one  insert 
only  should  be  sent  in  a  single  letter.  A  "  spill  "  of  two  or  three 
or  more  inserts  when  a  letter  is  opened  is  not  only  annojdng  to  the 


474 


SELLING   BY   CIRCULAR 


average  prospect,  but  it  is  likewise  cheapening  to  the  commodity 
or  service  advertised.  One  house  reports  tremendous  success  with 
a  tiny  celluloid  calendar :  "It  gets  itself  posted  or  carried  about 
for  a  whole  year,  and  every  time  he  (the  prospect)  looks  at  it,  he 
sees  us  !  Anything  more  than  this  tucked  into  our  envelopes 
would  be  a  superfluity."  Another  house  testifies  to  the  success  of 
a  series  of  sectional  city  maps,  each  showing  the  location  of  branch 
offices,  and  stating  two  or  three  big  facts  in  connection  with  the 
growth  and  history  of  the  city  in  which  the  prospect  lives.  Still 
another  exploits  quotations  from  Poor  Richard's  Almanac,  selecting 
those  maxims  that  bear  directly  upon  its  particular  line  of  business 
and  mounting  them  in  red  on  the  glazed  reverse  of  a  blotter.  The 
majority  of  retail  establishments  contend  that  the  best  letter 
insert  is  the  one  that  pictures  and  explains  briefly  some  special 
offering  related  to  and  linked  up  with  the  content  of  the  letter  in 
which  it  is  sent. 

Care  should  be  exercised  in  the  construction  of  any  sort  of  insert — 
be  it  notice  or  announcement  or  frank  sales  appeal — to  make  it 
comply  with  the  general  principles  involved  in  writing  good  adver- 
tising copy.i  The  general  design  and  layout  should  not  be  crowded  ; 
there  should  be  generous  "  breathing  places."  It  is  perhaps  in 
violation  of  this  rule  that  many  inserts  most  signally  fail.  The 
typography  should  be  not  merely  legible  and  readable,  as  above 
suggested,  but  inviting  as  well.  There  should  be  as  few  type  faces 
as  possible  employed  in  delivering  the  message.  The  placement  and 
arrangement  of  parts  should  be  graceful  and  dignified.  The  salients 
of  the  message  should  be  given  the  best  psychological  position,  the 
best  psychological  color  (in  case  color  is  used),  and  the  best  psycho- 
logical phrasing.  The  lines  of  a  folder  or  circular  of  more  than 
one  page  should  all  be  set  to  read  in  the  same  direction.  No  shifting 
of  the  enclosed  piece  from  perpendicular  to  horizontal  should  be 
required  by  the  make-up,  except  in  very  unusual  cases.  The  rail- 
way timetable  may  make  such  awkward  demands  upon  the  reader, 
but  the  "  advertising  timetable  "  may  not.  The  message  in  any 
sort  of  enclosure  of  more  than  one  page  in  length  should  be  made 
to  read  thru  consecutively  from  the  beginning  to  the  end ;  that  is, 
there  should  be  a  second  page  interest  on  page  one,  and  so  on. 

^  See  the  author's  Advertising  and  Selling  Practice  and  The  English  of 
Commerce. 


475 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


This  element  of  consecutiveness  is  especially  important  in  a  folder 
in  which  consecutiveness  is  suggested  by  the  form  itself.  In  case 
background  color  is  used,  for  emphasis  or  for  beauty  or  for  differ- 
entiation among  different  kinds  or  departments  of  enclosures,  it 
should,  as  a  rule,  be  a  quietly  optimistic  tint,  rather  than  a  shade, 
and  it  should  radiate  the  feeling  of  genuine  background  and  sub- 
ordinate atmosphere.  Only  in  comparatively  rare  cases  can  the 
use  of  more  than  two  colors  be  justified  in  the  construction  of 
enclosure  copy.  It  too  frequently  happens  that  the  use  of  color 
in  inserts  gives  the  impression  of  having  been  dashed  or  splashed 
over  the  message,  whereas  the  message  should  be  made  to  appear 
as  if  it  were  placed  deliberately  and  appropriately  upon  congenial 
color  surface.  It  frequently  happens  also,  that  more  or  less  irrele- 
vant illustration  is  permitted  to  usurp  the  larger  spaces  and  the 
more  vital  positions  in  direct-mail  materials.  Expository  or  descrip- 
tive or  suggestive  illustration  is,  other  things  being  equal,  the  most 
profitable  in  any  sort  of  copy  that  has  to  be  confined  to  small  space. 
In  cases  where  the  actual  picturization  of  a  commodity  itself  or 
of  the  carton  in  which  it  is  sold,  is  possible,  exceptions  are  to  be 
made  to  rule  and  specification  as  to  color  and  design.  The  very 
best  color  and  the  very  best  illustration  are  those  that  convey  to 
the  prospect  the  "  true- to-life  "  picture  of  the  commodity  advertised 
by  the  insert. 

The  placement  of  illustrative  matter  should  be  such  as  to  afford 
agreeable  and  inviting  relief  to  the  eye.  Irregular  breaks  rather 
than  conventional  ones,  may  be  relied  upon  to  secure  this  relief 
in  most  instances.  In  general,  the  lines  of  illustrative  matter 
should  follow  those  of  the  typographical,  format  of  the  insert.  Where 
this  is  not  possible,  and  where,  in  consequence,  illustrations  have 
to  be  placed  at  right  angles  to  the  reading  matter,  they  should  always 
he  faced  inward.  The  caption  has  for  decades  been  placed  at  the 
bottom  of  the  illustration,  and  this  custom  is  still  followed  to  a 
very  large  degree.  But  there  is  a  welcome  growing  tendency  to 
place  the  caption  at  the  top  of  the  illustration.  This  arrangement 
is  more  logical,  as  well  as  more  psychological,  and  it  deserves  to 
be  given  preference.  By  and  large,  it  is  desirable  to  be  told  what 
we  are  going  to  see  before  we  see  it ;  such  procedure  is  certainly 
businesslike.  And  the  direction  of  our  reading  is,  or  should  be, 
from  tops  to  bottoms. 


476 


SELLING   BY  CIRCULAR 


A  "  personality  paper,"  that  is  a  paper  of  first  class  texture  and 
quality  should  be  used  for  all  direct-mail  matter.  Many  an  excellent 
insert  message,  as  well  as  many  an  otherwise  excellent  letter  message, 
-has  been  damned  with  finality  by  the  shabby  paper  stock  on  which 
it  was  delivered.  The  booklet  cover  should  be  "  of  such  quality  as 
will  wear  well."  It  may  be  cut  flush  with  the  pages  contained 
within  it,  or  it  may  be  extended  beyond  them  on  all  sides.  The 
latter  style  is  probably  somewhat  more  dignified  and  more  beautiful, 
but  it  is  more  expensive. 

If  the  material  contained  in  an  enclosure  runs  to  considerable 
length,  it  should  be  partitioned  by  headings  and  sub-headings  or 
running  headlines.  These  always  aid  a  reader  to  get  at  the  meat 
of  a  message,  and  they  also  tend  to  fix  in  his  mind  ssilient  points 
and  arguments.  Tickler  or  teaser  titles  are  not  to  be  recom- 
mended for  direct-mail  matter.  A  well-worded  title  explaining 
what  the  insert  is  about,  or  just  what  its  purpose  is,  has  the  merit 
of  immediacy  and  directness,  two  most  important  elements  in  the 
make-up  of  a  piece  that  can  at  best  demand  but  hurried  reading, 
and  that  frequently  shares  its  appeal  with  a  letter  or  other  matter. 
The  headline  writer,  like  the  newspaper  paragrapher,  needs  to  be  a 
genius.  The  best  headlines  are  "  nouned  and  verbed  and  adjec- 
tived,"  and  the  other  parts  of  speech  are  used  sparingly  in  them. 
Concrete  nouns,  pictorial  adjectives,  active  and  panoramic  verbs  get 
the  best  results  in  enclosures,  as  they  do  in  advertising  copy  at  large. 

There  are  dramatic  stories  told  in  business  touching  upon  ill- 
advised  enclosure  copy.  An  enclosure  that,  in  process  of  con- 
struction, had  been  the  pride  and  the  hope  of  a  large  mercantile 
establishment  in  the  middle  west,  and  on  which  several  thousands 
of  dollars  had  been  expended,  proved  in  reality  to  be  nothing  but 

dead  loss.  "^The  reason  was — the  blind  title   "Yes,  but ." 

This  had  been  thought  clever.  Its  isolated  placement  on  the 
front  cover  in  bright,  red  letters,  had  been  thought  still  more 
clever.  But  from  the  prospect's  point  of  view,  it  was  nothing 
more  or  less  than  a  tickler  that  did  not  tickle.  It  annoyed,  and 
many  prospects  made  no  secret  of  their  annoyance.  Their  time 
was  too  valuable  to  be  fooled  into  reading  thru  a  ten-page  booklet 

in  order  to  get  an  inkling  of  the  meaning  of  "  Yes,  but ." 

One  house  recently  reported  an  expenditure  of  $25,000.  on  a 
beautifully  set  and  illustrated  letter  insert,  only  to  find  that  the 

477 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


novelty  fold  in  which  it  had  taken  so  much  pride,  simply  refused 
to  unfold  easily  and  conveniently,  and  that  prospects  in  consequence 
"  couldn't  be  annoyed."  Another  house  spent  upwards  of  $10,000. 
on  an  illuminated  four-page  flexible  card,  and  then  negatived  the 
whole  effect  the  card  could  and  probably  would  have  produced,  by 
mailing  it  in  a  gaudy,  one-cent  envelope.  This  house  has  since 
taken  for  its  motto  :  Any  direct-mail  matter  that  is  worth  receiving, 
is  worth  sending  under  the  leadership  of  a  two-cent  stamp.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  manager  of  a  recent  charitable  campaign 
made  the  mistake  of  delivering  hundreds  of  appeals  under  the 
disguise  of  a  special  delivery  stamp,  and  thus  crowned  another 
epoch  in  the  annals  of  misguided  expenditure  by  organized  charity. 
The  artistic  effect  and  much  of  the  practical  return-value  of  a 
dealer-help  booklet  that  cost  hundreds  of  dollars  was  recently 
destroyed  by  the  crude  coloring  and  lettering  of  the  stamps  used 
by  dealers  for  placing  their  names  and  addresses  in  the  space  left 
for  the  purpose. 

Much  money  has  likewise  been  thrown  away  in  direct-mail 
campaigns  in  efforts  to  devise  envelopes  that  look  as  if  they  are 
sealed,  yet  are  not,  and  as  a  result  give  the  impression  of  being 
first-class  matter  tho  they  are  really  second-class.  But  the  world 
has  grown  color  wise,  and  if  it  sees  green  in  the  upper  righthand 
corner  of  an  envelope,  it  ignores  the  contents  of  about  ninety-two 
out  of  every  one  hundred  such  envelopes  received.  If  it  sees  red 
in  the  upper  righthand  corner,  it  has  been  known  (other  things 
being  equal)  to  ignore  less  than  fifty  out  of  every  hundred.  The. 
one-cent  stamp  can  never  take  a  message  so  far,  so  quickly,  so 
emphatically  as  the  two-cent  stamp.  Business  has  been  gradually 
learning  this  for  the  past  several  years,  but  there  is  still  far  too 
much  direct -mail  matter  "  masquerading  undisguised  "  under  the 
penny  post.  Even  the  least  fastidious  people  like  to  be  made  to 
feel  that  their  mail  matter  is  private,  confidential,  and  important. 
The  one-cent  stamp  used  on  a  letter  envelope  belittles  and 
humiliates. 

The  letter  itself  is  frequently  used  as  an  insert  in  another  piece 
of  mail  matter.  So  used,  it  constitutes  as  a  rule  a  notice  or  an 
announcement,  and  it  follows  regular  letter  make-up  in  form,  and 
sales  letter  composition  in  content.  Such  a  general  folder  letter 
may  initiate  or  conclude  a  follow-up  scheme  of  appeal ;    it  may 


478 


SELLING   BY   CIRCULAR 


suggest  and  stimulate  merely  ;  it  may  meet  a  multitude  of  occasional 
business  situations,  such  as  openings,  closings,  removals,  special 
terms,  seasonal  greetings  or  opportunities.  It  may  be  an  appeal 
to  old  prospects,  an  address  to  employees,  a  '*  boost  "  to  the  trade. 
Whatever  it  is ;  wherever,  however,  whenever  it  may  be  sent, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  reference  in  it  to  the  matter  it  accom- 
panies or  introduces,  re-enforces  its  message.  Conversely,  reference 
in  an  insert  to  the  letter  it  accompanies  is  equally  calculated  to 
encourage  team  work.  Such  cross-reference  should  always  be  made 
quietly,  coherently,  and  impressively,  without  pyrotechnics  of  any 
sort.  To  stamp  such  reference  across  the  face  of  a  letter  or  a 
piece  of  printed  matter  as  a  "  diagonal  or  oblique  addendum  "  is 
to  vulgarize  the  whole  communication.  The  inter  dependability 
must  be  built  in  ;  the  two  must  be  composed  together,  each  kept 
conscious  of  the  other,  in  order  that  there  may  be  related  and 
harmonious  unity  of  appeal. 

Letter  enclosures  are  sometimes  excerpts  from  a  large  and 
comprehensive  mail  catalog,  sometimes  specially  prepared  exposi- 
tory or  descriptive  write-ups  of  merchandise  for  capsule  mail- 
order presentation.  It  goes  without  saying  that  all  such  write-ups 
should  be  clearly  and  impressively  focused.  The  fault  in  catalog 
writing  sometimes  lies  in  the  use  of  generic  rather  than  specific 
phraseology.  The  words  good,  beautiful,  durable,  firstclass,  and 
others  of  their  generic  ilk,  are  forced  into  use  for  the  exposition  or 
description  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  merit  and  qudity.  The 
dictionary  of  synonyms  is  regarded  by  one  large  mailorder  house 
as  the  most  important  volume  its  catalog  writers  can  possess. 
Not  only  has  it  provided  each  of  them  with  the  book,  but  it  has 
also  had  large  placards  printed  for  display  in  the  front  of  the 
catalog  room.  On  each  of  these  placards  there  is  a  commonly 
used  generic  adjective  or  adverb  with  its  many  specific  equivalents 
listed  below  it.  The  headline  of  a  typical  card  reads  as  follows  : 
When  you  feel  like  using  GOOD  think  these  over.  A  list  of 
fifty  or  more  synonyms  are  given  underneath,  and  more  than  one 
writer  may  be  seen  at  any  time  studying  the  word  list  in  order  to 
get  just  the  equivalent  that  will  dovetail  nicely  into  his  message 
at  a  crucial  point. 

The  writer  of  a  business  report,  whatever  its  subject,  should 
aim  to  set  forth  facts  in  the  simplest,  most  lucid,  most  thoroly 

479 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


organized  manner.  Those  elements  and  qualities  of  writing  that 
apply  to  business  composition  in  general,  apply  to  the  business 
report  in  particular.  If  it  is  intended  for  a  confidential  group  of 
business  men,  who  are  acquainted  with  the  special  problems  and 
conditions  to  which  it  pertains,  it  may  be  stated  in  technical  and 
intimate  language,  and  it  may  elaborate  points  of  peculiar  interest 
to  the  inner  circle.  If  it  is  for  public  or  general  reading,  it  must 
be  stated  in  general  terms,  understandable  of  all,  and  it  must  observe 
certain  restraint  in  the  treatment  of  strictly  private  internal  matters. 
The  business  report  must  reveal  no  house  secrets  to  the  pubUc ; 
it  must  conceal  none  from  those  within  the  house  who  have  a  right 
to  know  them.  At  least,  this  is  the  ideal  attitude  for  the  writer 
of  a  business  report  to  assume.  If  his  house  has  arrived  at  that 
millenial  situation  where  it  has  no  secrets,  then  he  may  proceed 
uncabined,  uncribbed,  and  unconfined. 

The  principal  task  of  the  writer  of  a  business  report,  from  clerk  to 
salesman,  from  delivery  foreman  to  vice-president,  is  to  array  his 
facts  in  logical  and  clearly  conceived  order.  His  purpose  or  object 
in  writing  the  report  should  be  made  evident  at  the  outset.  He 
should  next  present  his  facts  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  to 
be  elaborated.  Then  he  should  analyze  them,  and  draw  deductions, 
if  any,  from  them.  Finally,  he  should  make  recommendations  upon 
his  findings,  and,  if  necessary,  add  a  word  of  conclusion.  In  case 
his  report  runs  to  great  length  and  is  involved  in  content,  he  will 
do  well  to  summarize  his  analysis  before  making  definite  recom- 
mendations. Brief  summaries  at  intervals  by  the  way  may  like- 
wise be  helpful.  They  will  not  only  clarify  and  emphasize,  but 
they  will  re-enforce  the  final  general  recommendations.  This 
general  plan  may,  therefore,  be  helpful  : 

1.  Purpose. 

2.  Facts. 

3.  Analysis. 

4.  Deductions. 

5.  Summary. 

6.  Recommendations. 

7.  Conclusion. 

If  a  statement  of  any  kind  is  necessary  to  the  elucidation  of  the 
report,  or  any  part  of  it,  it  should  be  presented  in  tabular  form 

480 


SELLING  BY  CIRCULAR 


at  that  point  at  which  it  is  saUent,  provided  it  applies  to  but  one 
point,  or  at  the  end,  provided  it  adds  to  the  summary  of  the  whole 
report.  Running  headlines,  both  marginal  and  internal,  should  be 
used  to  mark  divisions  of  thought  and  development  in  the  report, 
especially  if  it  is  long.  These  are  a  convenience  to  the  reader, 
and  they  serve  also  as  reference  guides.  It  is  a  good  plan  whenever 
possible  to  signal  every  paragraph  by  means  of  a  marginal  heading. 
And  if  these  marginal  topics  can  be  so  phrased  as  to  tell  a  con- 
tinuous story  of  themselves  or  along  with  the  internal  headings 
used,  the  report  will  accordingly  benefit  in  lucidity  and  in  ease 
of  grasp.  Note,  for  instance,  in  the  following  brief  section  of  a 
long  financial  report,  how  the  marginal  running  outline  focuses  the 
internal  heading  in  each  case : 


Duration  and  Interest 

1930  to  1940        The  bonds  will  be  dated  September  1,   1930,  and  will  be 
7%.  payable  September  1,  1940.     They  will  bear  interest  at  the 

rate  of  7%  per  annum  payable  semiannually  in  New  York 

City  on  March  1  and  September  1. 


$1000.  to 
$10,000. 
Interchange- 
able. 


At  105% 
and  accrued 
interest. 


Form  of  Issue 

The  bonds  are  to  be  issuable  in  coupon  form  in  denominations 
of  $1000.  and  $500.,  registerable  as  to  principal,  and  in 
fully  registered  form  in  denominations  of  $1000.,  $5000., 
and  $10,000.  Coupon  and  registered  bonds  and  the  several 
denominations  are  to  be  interchangeable. 

Redemption 

They  may  be  redeemed  at  the  option  of  the  company  in 
whole  or  in  part  at  105%  and  accrued  interest.  The  issue 
is  subject  to  the  completion  of  the  necessary  legal  formalities, 
including  the  formal  approval  of  the  Interstate  Commerce 
Commission. 


Limitation  and  Collateral 

Secured  by  The  bonds  are  to  be   limited  to  an   authorized  issue   of 

pledge  with  $25,000,000.  and  are  to  be  secured  by  pledge  with  

Company.    Company,  as  trustee,  of  the  following  collateral  : 

Pledged 
Price         Value 

$25,000,000.  New  York  Central  Railroad 
Co.  Refunding  and  Improve- 
ment Mortgage  6%  Bonds, 
Series  B ^95 


$23,750,000. 


1  Based  on  the  present  market  of  Refunding  and  Improvement  Mortgage 
4|%  Bonds,  Series  A. 

481 
31— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Three  classes 

of 

collateral. 


$3,750,000.  par  value  (being  75,000  shares) 
Reading  Company  First  Pre- 
ferred Stock 40 

$5,500,000.  par  value  (being  110,000 
shares)  Reading  Company 
Second  Preferred  Stock       .     42^ 

Total      ... 


3,000,000. 


4.675.000. 


$31,425,000. 


Collateral  vs.  Amount  of  Issue 

Present  At  current   quotations  the  market  value  of  the  securities 

rating  of  to  be  pledged  is  approximately   $31,425,000.,  or  in  excess 

collateral.  of  125%  of  the  face  amount  of  this  issue  of  bonds. 


The  petition  is  a  collective  and  cumulative  request.  The  resolu- 
tion is  a  collective  and  cumulative  assertion.  Observe  in  the 
examples  given  on  pages  512  and  513  that  the  content  is  stated 
seriatim  and  inductively.  The  various  points  in  these  forms  are 
usually  enumerated  paragraph  by  paragraph,  and  each  paragraph 
may  be  enforced  by  numbering  or  lettering  and  by  the  capitalization, 
perhaps,  of  the  first  word  or  words.  Perhaps  the  most  important 
element  in  the  framing  of  a  petition  or  a  resolution  is  the  aim  at 
cumulative  effect.  The  material  should  be  presented  climactically. 
Where  more  than  one  question  is  asked,  or  more  than  one  assertion 
made,  the  rule  of  order  of  importance  should  be  strictly  followed. 
And  in  these  forms,  as  in  all  other  business  composition,  clarity 
and  succinctness  and  impressiveness  of  statement  should  be  the 
definite  aim  of  the  writer.  A  petition  advertises  a  desire.  A  resolu- 
tion advertises  a  conviction.  Each  must  be  constructed  with  some 
degree  of  consideration  for  the  advertising  motif. 


482 


The  motto  insert,  in  two  colors  with  specially  designed  type  and  decorative 
border,  was  given  wide  vogue  in  this  country  by  the  late  Elbert  Hubbard. 
These     are    here    reproduced    by    permission    of    Elbert    Hubbard   II, 
East  Aurora,  New  York. 


.,;^^^U% 


V 


lON'T  be  a  Christ- 
mas Rusher,  and 
get  red  in  the  face.  Order 
early  and  save  your 
♦imt-  and  temper  <•  You 
know  what  tlio<5e  last 
•'-■w  days  betrT?  Chiist- 
oasare  — BE  WISE' 


\a< 


.•  /? 


./^^ 


'J.  '■„-<' 


These  are  typical  examples    of  direct-mail  enclosures.      They  represen 
a  wide  variety  of  style  and  format.     All  of  them  in  original  dress  wer 

printed  in  two  colors. 


A  high-class  announcement  by  a  motor  car  company. 


48: 


A  dignified  announcement  that  carries  a  postscript. 

Tlie  Directors  end  Officers 

oflhc 

Guaranlii  Trusl  Company  ofNcwTbrk 

ond  fhc 
GiiGrciiiii|  Sofc  Deposit"  Gompanij 

cordiollu  invite  uouriiispeeiioii  of  fheir 

KewFiftii  Avciiiie  Offices 

in  the 

Fifth  Avenue  Giiciraiiti|  Building 

at  the  Southwest  corner  of 

Fifth  Avenue  and  Fortii -fourth  Street 

INTewTbrk  Gilij 

on  Saturday  Hie  fifteenth  of  May 


CONSTRUCTION  DELAYS  HAVE  NECESSITATED  A  POSTPONEMENT  OF  ONE  WEEK 

WE    THEREFORE    CORDIALLY    INVITE    YOUR    INSPECTION    OF   THESE    OFFICES 

ON  SATURDAY,   THE  TWENTY-SECOND  OF  MAY 


487 


I 


An  attractively  drawn  annual  announcement  featuring  a 

new  service. 


^^^  ^iea^^yc^&^ 


y€>n/ 


489 


Showing  the  unique  device  of  printing  the  name  of  the  prospect 

in  harmony  with  the  regular  set-up,  making  him  think  it  is 

just  for  him. 


NNOUNCING  to 

Mr.  John  B.  Opdycke 

the  opening  of 

The  MAN'S  Shop 

in 

Lord  m  Taylor 

Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 

on 

Thursday 

September  Sixteenth 


490 


An  announcement  with  an  unusually  strong  personal  note. 

Margaret    Prescott    Montague 

Invites  you  to  be  her  guest  at  the 

Private   Showing 

of  the  Motion  Picture  Version  of  her  hook 

Uncle  Sam  of  Freedom  Ridge 

The  Story  of  an  Atonement  and  a  Resurrection 

Produced  by  Mr.  Harry  Levey 

At  the  Selwyn  Theatre,  West  Forty-Second  Street 

Sunday  Evening,  September  Twenty-Sixth 

Eight  O'clock 

Space  being  limited,  will  you  kindly 
ihform  Mr.  Levey  at  1664  Broadway 
before  September  Twenty-Second  the 
number  of  admission  cards  desired-* 

Brief  and  dignified  appeal  to  a  high-class  clientele. 


491 


An  informing  announcement,  as  well  as  an  advertisement 
for  both  parties. 


Announcement 
MR.  STANLEY  V.  GIBSON 


a  D 


Mr,  Gibson,  former  Western 
Advertising  Manager  of 
Cosmopolitan  Magazine, 
joins  the  Advertising  De- 
partment of  the  'Butterick 
Publishing  Company. 

Mr.  Gibson  will  have  charge 
of  the  Butterick  Quarterlies. 


DO 


BUTTERICK    —    PUBLISHER 


493 


An  artistic  announcement  with  an  old-time  atmosphere. 


A  Strange,  Marvelous  and  Entertaining 
%epast,  sans  discourse  or  oratory,  will  be 
served  at  the  (Commodore  Hotel,  on  the 
evening  of  April  ye  1 1'^*  at  7  of  the  clock. 
All  ye  craft  of  authors  and  artists  in  the 
League  inscribed,  no  less  than  the  guests 
thereof,  two  guests  for  each,  are  bidden 
to  assemble,  not  forgetting  to  write  in  by 
April  the  fourth  and  remit  the  pittance 
of  five  dollars  the  cover. 


P.S.  Please  to  write  each  individual  his  name  upon 
the  cartel  here  enfolded  and  pin  same  conspicuous 
upon  his  habit.  Those  who  would  fain  sit  with  their 
friends  must  arrange  of  their  own  volition  groups  of 
8  or  10  and  send  us  notice  thereof,  together  with  the 
names  of  themselves  and  their  friends,  not  after  April 
ist.  For  the  rest,  may  Fortune  guide  us! 


Extra!  Everyone  present  will  have  a 
part  as  a  film  star,  and  will  be  shown  in-    I 
dividually  upon  the  screen  this  same  fes- 
tive evening— if  you  come  betimes. 


Cheques/or  dinner  Reservations  should  be  mailed  to  ye  Authors'  League,  22  East  1 7/A  St.,  New  Tork 


494 


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An  unusually  arresting  and  readable  announcement,  with 
the  good-fellowship jring. 


Scandal  ! ! 


L  GIBNEY  says  that  Chub  Fuller  told  him 
that  he  heard  Frank  Presbrey  say  that 
Roy  Barnhill  told  him  that  Mitch  Thorsen 
heard  that  there  was  no  doubt  that  Tom 
Childs  thought  Herbert  Houston  had  told  Frank 
Little  that  Joe  Hopkins  had  declared  to  Bruce  Barton 
that  it  was  generally  believed  that  O.  H.  Blackman 
said,  in  plain  terms,  that  he  heard  Stanley  Resor  de- 
clare that  his  friend  Gil  Hodges  had  said  that  Steve 
Flynn  informed  him,  at  the  Waldorf,  that  it  was 
well  known  throughout  the  advertising  business 
that  Bill  McDermid  had  caught  Cy  Curtis  in  saying 
that  in  his  opinion  the  13th  Annual  Outing  of  the 
Representatives  Club  of  New  York,  at  Gedney 
Farms,  on  Tuesday,  June  22,  would  be  the 
greatest  event  of  its  kind  the  Club  had  ever  pulled. 
Charley  Plummer,  of  the  Metropolitan  o^agazine, 
has  confessed  that  guest  tickets  may  be  obtained 
from  him  at  $10.  each  and  that  checks  for  same 
should  be  mailed  to  him  at  432  Fourth  Avenue. 
These  tickets  admit  to  each  and  every  event,  in- 
cluding the  BIG  dinner,  the  barrel  of  samples  and 
the  MAGNIFICENTLY  GORGEOUS  AND  EX- 
TREMELY VALUABLE  PRIZES.  Special  train 
F.  O.  B.  Grand  Central,  and  from  that  time  forward 
everything  t.  f.  for  members  and  guests. 

Prizes  for  everyone— favors  worth  frice  of  admission. 


497 


82~(429) 


BUSINESS    LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  school  announcement  calculated 
to  beget  enthusiasm. 


What  Ho,  My  Lads  and  Lassies  Fair, 
Bid  Glad  Adieu  to  Toil  and  Care, 
For  Song  and  Dance  are  in  the  Air  ! 

Which  is  to  say  that  your  school  is  going  to  give  a 

DANCE    FESTIVAL    FROLIC    AND 
MUSICAL  MELANGE 

At  Hunts  Point  Palace  on  May  6,  at  eight  o'clock. 

You  will  want  to  be  there,  of  course,  to  permit  old 
school  friends — teachers  and  pupils — ^to  greet  you, 
and  to  extend  them  well-wishing  in  return.  So  here 
are  two  tickets 

FOR  YOU 

You  will  probably  want  more.  Say  the  word  and 
they  shall  be  yours. 

And — soon  as  you  get  this,  please  tuck  a  trifle 
(stamps  will  do)  into  an  envelope  to  pay  for  the  tickets 
enclosed  and  for  the 

ADDITIONAL   ONES 

THANK    YOU 

Cheerio. 

P.S.  Isn't  it  a  grand  idea,  this,  of  getting  together 
once  a  term  for  a  polite  jollification  ?  So  much 
nicer  than  meeting  in  staid,  parHamentary 
fashion. 

At  least,  we'll  say  so,  won't  we  ?  * 


498 


SELLING   BY   CIRCULAR 


An  announcement  that  sells  and 
explains  and  builds. 


This  letter  is  just  as  much  to  you  personally  as  if  I  had 
laboriously  spelled  out  each  word,  so  don't  shy  at  the 
printer's  ink.  I  figured  it  out  by  quadratics  that,  if  I 
should  personally  push  my  old  fountain  pen  across  the 
pages  for  each  of  the  three  hundred  odd  letters  I  have 
to  write,  I'd  finish  at  4:30  the  afternoon  of  February  2 
— four  days  after  the  meeting. 

That's  what  this  letter  is  about — the  most  important 
event  in  Colorado  during  January,  next  to  Carlson's 
inauguration — the  annual  meeting  of  The  Colorado 
Mountain  Club  in  the  auditorium  of  the  Public 
Library,  at  8  p.m.,  Friday,  January  29,  a.d.   1928. 

Last  year  a  few  earnest  souls  responded  to  the  annual 
call  and  played  into  the  hands  of  the  retiring  members 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  to  such  an  extent  that  every 
man  of  them  got  himself  re-elected.  This  time,  five  of 
the  old  Board  expire,  and  if  you  don't  get  busy  and 
take  this  meeting  in  hand  some  of  this  old  crowd 
are  going  to  get  back  into  office. 

Do  you  know  what  kind  of  crowd  rules  the  destinies 
of  your  glorious  Club  ?  Do  you  know  that  they  get 
together  once  a  month,  sometimes  oftener,  and  devise 
schemes  to  spend  your  hard-earned  money  ?  Do  you 
know  that  they  are  as  thick  as  thieves — and  some  of 
them  are  thicker  ?  that  they  always  have  a  quorum 
and  scarcely  ever  a  "  dissenting  voice  "  ?  Doesn't  that 
look  just  a  trifle  suspicious  in  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  a  corporation  ? 

And  they've  some  interesting  doings  arranged  for  the 
date.  One  director,  a  tall,  upright -seeming  man,  has 
some  big  brass  tubes  and  things  he  bought  with  your 
money,  and  he'll  exhibit  them  in  the  hope  that  he  may 
be  retained  on  the  board.  Another,  an  eye  specialist, 
has  been  sitting  up  nights  and  ruining  his  eyesight 
drawing  designs  of  some  sort  for  a  club  seal,  trusting 
his  past  may  be  forgotten  and  his  re-election  secured. 
In  short,  each  of  the  five  retiring  directors  will  be  seen 
at  his  very  best  at  this  meeting. 

But  seriously,  the  meeting  will  be  distinctly  worth 
your  while.  We  shall  have  an  exhibit  of  Clatworthy's 
unusual  mountain  pictures  hung  in  the  Art  Room, 

[Contd.  on  p.  500 

499 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


Contd.  from  p.  499] 

together  with  enlargements  of  all  the  prize-winning 
Club  pictures.  The  committees  have  done  a  lot  of 
pioneer  work  thisjyear,  and  their  condensed  reports 
will  interest  you.  You'll  be  glad,  and  perhaps  a  bit 
surprised,  to  learn  how  much  they  have  accomplished 
recently. 

It's  your  Club  after  all,  and  you'll  get  out  of  it  just 
what  you  put  in — ^no  more,  no  less.  We're  not  going 
to  hand  violets  or  macaroons  to  each  guest,  but  we 
surely  shall  have  a  good,  get-together  time  and  we'll 
miss  you  if  you  aren't  there. 

Will  you  plan  to  come  ? 


A  personal  "  warm-up  "  hy  way 
of  regular  announcement 


In  accordance  with  the  custom  of  this  shop  to  carry  no 
merchandise  from  one  season  to  the  next,  we  have 
arranged 

A  PRIVATE  SALE 
From  December  26  to  December  31  inclusive 

to  afford  our  patrons  an  opportunity  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  same  remarkable  price  reductions  offered 
to  the  public  in  our  January  Clearing  Sales. 

The  enclosed  slips  tell  the  story  of  the  items  and 
prices,  but  it  would  be  difficult  to  do  justice  to  the 
merchandise  other  than  by  a  visit.  It  represents  our 
regular  stocks  including  many  imported  models,  and 
apparel  made  in  our  own  workrooms. 

We  trust  that  you  will  find  it  convenient  to  attend 
this  sale.  It  is  offered  as  additional  evidence  of  the 
measure  in  which  we  hope  ever  to  be  of  service  to  you. 


500 


SELLING  BY   CIRCULAR 


An  unusually  good  acrostic 
announcement. 


YOU  are  fond  of  the  good  things  of  Hfe,  aren't 
you  ?  It  is  right  that  you  should  be.  You 
deserve  them — ^no  one  deserves  them  more. 
Therefore, 


WILL  you  please  make  use  of  the  enclosed  card 
of  admission  to  our  opening  next  Tuesday  ? 
There  will  be  hundreds  of  nice  things  to 
please  you,  many  nice  people  to  meet,  and 
a  little  entertainment  to  amuse  you. 


LIKE  the  opening  you  helped  to  make  such  a 
success  last  season,  this  one  is  to  be  held  on 
the  first  gallery,  central  to  all  the  gems  of 
display  for  which  Tappe  has  become  famous. 
The  hour  is  three  p.m.,  and  tea  will  be 
served  at  four.    Come,  please,  and  help 


US  again  to  set  this  town  agog  over  the  seductive 

charm  and  beauty  that  deft  hands  and 
artistic  tastes  are  able  to  endow  a  bit 
of  fabric  with.  Really,  you  never  saw  such 
wonderful  gowns  ! 


501 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Novelty  of  letter  form  nicely  adapted 
to  novelty  of  service  advertised. 


Yes,  sir  :  We  are  to  have  a  new  home,  and  we  hope 
you  will  share  it  with  us 

Yes,  sir  :  It  is  located  at  Broadway  and  Ninth  Street, 
convenient  to  you,  and  it  occupies  the 
entire  ground  floor  of  the  Heckman  Building 

Yes,  sir  :  It  is  the  most  up-to-date  bookshop  in  the 
world.  There  is  a  large  reading  room  in 
which  the  tired  business  man  may  rest  for 
an  hour  the  while  he  peruses  a  book  or  a 
magazine.  There  is  a  buffet  lunch  service, 
so  that  he  may  glean  wisdom  from  the 
scribes  the  while  he  refreshes  his  tired  body. 
There  are  smoking  and  retiring  rooms  where 
he  may  freshen  up  for  the  matinee  or  the 
evening  performance  without  taking  the 
trouble  of  going  home 

Yes,  sir  :  We  are  always  open — morning,  evening, 
noon,  and  night,  and  Sundays  too,  praise  be! 

Yes,  sir  :  You  will  be  more  than  welcome,  always,  in 
this  new-idea  bookshop,  where  you  may  buy 
books,  read  books,  taste  books,  digest  books, 
smell  books,  and  at  the  same  time  rest  and 
tidy  up 

Yes,  sir  :  This  is  the  first  and  only  establishment  of 
its  kind.     It  is  a  unique  place  affording  a 
•   unique  service  for  the  choice  spirits  of  our 
unique  and  interesting  city 

Yes,  sir  :  You  will  be  welcome  here  whether  or  not 
you  spend  a  penny.  So  come  in,  just  to 
satisfy  your  curiosity  about  us.  For  if  you 
do  this,  we  are  sure  you  will  come  again  out 
of  sheer  love  of  the  place  and  the  service 


502 


SELLING   BY  CIRCULAR 


An  excellent  price  announcement 
that  links  logical  reason-why  with 
the  human  touch. 


As  to  those  lists  we  sent  you,  as  of  October  First : 

Times  change,  and  as  a  consequence,  prices  and 
suppHes  also  change. 

And  just  because  there  have  recently  been  so  many 
changes  in  the  market  and  such  a  hop-skip-and-jump 
fluctuation  in  rates,  we  are  going  to  ask  you  to  deal 
with  us  for  a  little  while  on  the  day-by-day  basis. 
This,  for  your  own  convenience  and  advantage,  as 
well  as  ours. 

Our  regular  monthly  price  lists  will  accordingly  be  dis- 
continued for  the  present.  When  you  need  materials, 
please  wire  us  at  our  expense,  and  trust  us  to 
forward  goods  immediately  at  the  lowest  rates  quoted 
on  the  day  your  order  is  received. 

You  will  of  course  understand  this  change  of  policy 
in  the  spirit  in  which  it  has  been  adopted.  Owing 
to  the  disturbed  conditions  we  are  unable  to  tell 
"  where  we're  at  "  further  than  a  day  ahead.  We 
make  the  temporary  change  only  because  it  seems  to 
us  to  be  the  best  way  to  serve  you  fairly  and  honestly, 
as  of  yore.  We  feel  sure  it  will  meet  with  your 
approval  and  support. 

We  enclose  a  packet  of  blank  forms  for  your  use.  You 
will  note  place  for  the  insertion  of  quotation  on  the 
date  you  order. 

Thank  you. 


503 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


A  somewhat  unusual  seasonal  greeting 
in  direct  letter  form. 


"  Good-bye.   1929  !  " 

"  Hello,   1930  !  " 

This  is  the  Glad  Season  of  the  year. 

Whatever  of  sordid  devices  and  ulterior  motives  may 
have  cropped  up  during  the  business  rush  and  tumble 
of  past  months,  are  now  laid  aside  and  forgotten,  and 
our  saner  philosophy  reflects  upon  the  high  points  of 
achievement  and  appreciation. 

As  good  old  1929  slips  away  from  us,  he  occasions  in 
our  hearts,  gratitude  for  the  good  things  he  brought 
us — expansion,  accomplishment,  new  friends  and 
acquaintances,  prosperity. 

And  as  1930  slips  into  our  midst,  our  hats  are  off  with 
a  cordial  "  Howdy  !  "  He  couldn't  keep  us  from 
growing  and  developing  for  the  benefit  of  our  cus- 
tomers if  he  would,  and  he  wouldn't  if  he  could. 
Myriads  of  miles  of  telephone  wire  sing  a  welcome  to 
him,  and  we  know  that  he  hears  and  feels  and  will 
understand. 

Thank  you,  Employees  All,  for  your  excellent  record 
in  1929.  You  worked  untiringly  to  make  our  service 
strong,  faithful,  and  efficient. 

And  thank  you.  Telephone  Users,  for  your  patience 
and  kindness  and  support  thru  troublous  and 
perilous  times.  We  appreciate  your  many  courtesies, 
and  we  promise  to  make  ourselves  even  more  worthy 
of  your  favors  and  your  sympathies. 

We  wish  you — one  and  all — ^A  Merry  Christmas  and 
A  Happy  New  Year.  May  Peace,  Plenty,  and 
Prosperity  be  yours  thruout  the  new  year  and  thruout 
the  years  to  come. 

"  Good-bye,   1929  !  " 

"  Hello,  1930  !  " 


504 


SELLING  BY   CIRCULAR 


The  gowns  are  chique,  and  the  letter 
style  and  tone  are  in  keeping. 


Our  FORECAST  COLLECTION  of  frocks  and  suits  and 
wraps  for  all  occasions  will  be  ready  for  its  intro- 
ductory showing  on  the  twentieth  of  this  month, 
and  we're  sending  out  invitations  to  a  selected  list 
of  our  patrons — women  whose  judgment  and  know- 
ledge of  the  mode  makes  their  appreciation  worth 
striving  for. 

Except  for  a  few  diaphanous  evening  gowns,  we've 
followed  the  slim  silhouette  exclusively,  believing 
that  it  contains  real  distinction  and  innate  wearability . 

But  this  charming  silhouette,  repeated  over  and 
over  again,  doesn't  result  in  monotony.  By  no 
means.  If  we  are  any  judge  of  our  own  work — 
and  we  think  we  are — then  we've  never  shown  a 
more  unexpected  variety,  in  color,  in  embroidery,  in 
material,  in  that  sheer  cleverness  of  line  that  can  make 
navy  blue  serge  into  something  so  new  that  you'll  ask 
the  mannequin  to  turn  round  three  times  !  And  with 
every  costume  there  is  a  hat,  created  specially  to 
complete  it. 

May  we  suggest  that  you  drop  in  early  in  the  week  ? 
Later  on,  we  may  not  be  able  to  give  you  individual 
attention,  and  that  would,  indeed,  be  a  disappointment 
to  us. 


505 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


Good  reason-why  linked  with  special 
privilege. 


The  Twelfth  Annual  Sale  of  Men's  Shoes  will  be 
announced  to  the  public  on  Saturday,  November  15, 
to  continue  for  one  week.  You  are  invited  to  make 
your  selections  on  Thursday  and  Friday,  November 
13  and  14. 


Every  pair  of  shoes  in  the  sale  has  been  made  to  our 
specifications  and  is  fully  up  to  the  Lord  &  Taylor 
high  standard  of  quality.  Included  are  men's  lace 
boots  in  black,  tan,  and  cordovan  leathers,  correct 
custom  styles  in  all  sizes  and  all  widths,  arranged 
in  three  price  groups  : 


$7.90  $9.75  $10.50 


Always  "  the  big  event  "  of  the  season,  the  Annual 
Sale  is  of  even  greater  importance  this  year  as  the 
prices  are  lower  than  we  should  have  to  pay  for  shoes 
of  equal  merit  in  today's  market. 

As  this  unusual  condition  is  due  to  the  fact  that  our 
contracts  were  placed  many  months  ago  in  anticipa- 
tion of  this  event,  would  it  not  be  advisable  for  you 
to  buy  for  future  as  well  as  present  needs  ? 


506 


SELLING  BY  CIRCULAR 


The  quotation  as  text,  excellently 
followed  up. 


Josh  Billings  used  to  say,  "  When  a  man  duz  a  good 
turn  just  for  the  phun  ov  the  thing  he  haz  got  a  grate 
deal  more  virtew  in  him  than  he  is  aware  ov." 

Now  that  you  have  helped  the  Red  Cross  you  have 
an  opportunity  of  helping  yourself  save  some  money 
on  new  Summer  Shoes. 

This  is  the  big  annual  Lord  &  Taylor's  Sale  of  Men's 
Shoes — famous  for  years.  It  opens  next  Thursday 
morning.  May  23.     Briefly  the  offerings  are  : 

1000  pairs  of  Men's  Low  and  High  Shoes — 
Gun  Metal  Oxfords,  Tan  Calfskin  Oxfords, 
Tan  Laced  Boots,  Black  Boots,  both  Laced 
and  Buttoned.     Very  Special        .      .      .    $5.65 

400  pairs  of  Men's  Dull  or  Black  Kidskin 
Oxfords.     Very  Special $6.75 

2000  pairs  of  Men's  Low  and  High  Shoes — 
Dark  Tan  Calfskin  Oxfords,  Black  Oxfords, 
Gun  Metal  Laced  Boots,  Dark  Tan  Calf- 
skin Laced  Boots.     Very  Special       .      .    $7.65 

In  connection  with  this,  there  will  also  be  held  a  very 
unusual  Sale  of  Boys'  Shoes — 800  pairs  of  Boys' 
Black  or  Dark  Tan  Play  or  Scout  Shoes  at  $3.25 
(sizes  1  to  6),  and  500  pairs  of  Boys'  Black  Leather 
Laced  Shoes  at  $3.75  (sizes  1  to  6). 


507 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


An  announcement  of  exceptional 
descriptive  appeal. 


We  are  writing  to  invite  you  to  share  with  us  the 
loveUness,  the  newness,  and  the  almost  endless  variety 
of  our  imported  Silks  for  Fall. 

All  of  the  pre-war  gaiety  and  originaUty  of  Paris  are 
reflected  in  the  exotic  color  and  sparkle  of  the 
hand-painted  Tinsel  Voiles. 

Chiffon  Velvets  in  every  lustrous  shade  of  the  rainbow 
invite  you  to  feel  of  them,  they  are  so  soft  and  alluring. 

Ombre  Chiffons,  shading  delicately  from  a  brilUant 
rose  or  blue  or  gold  into  the  faintest  suggestion  of  the 
same  color,  offer  unUmited  possibilities  for  fascinating 
evening  gowns. 

We  can't  begin  to  describe  these  lovely  materials.  It 
would  take  the  brush  of  an  artist  to  do  them  justice. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  they  are  here  for  you,  awaiting 
your  visit  and  inspection. 

It  is  only  thru  alert  ordering  that  we  have  been 
able  to  import  these  silks.  They  were  ordered  last 
year  when  France  was  just  recovering  from  the  War 
and  her  factories  were  glad  to  take  American  orders. 
Paris,  Fashion's  own  city,  was  still  in  mourning. 
Today  such  materials  are  difficult  to  obtain  because 
France,  together  with  a  large  part  of  the  world,  has 
awakened  to  the  incomparable  beauty  of  these 
gorgeous  fabrics. 

We  shall  consider  it  a  pleasure  to  show  them  to  you. 
May  we  hope  for  your  visit  very  soon  ? 


508 


SELLING   BY   CIRCULAR 


Re-enforcing  and  personalizing  the 
advertising  copy. 


You  have  doubtless  read  (in  the  public  press)  the 
details  of  our  twenty  per  cent  discount  sale  of 
Stein-Bloch  Suits  and  Topcoats. 

We  wish  our  Regular  Customers  to  understand  that 
we  have  just  received  belated  shipments,  which  were 
not  included  in  the  advertised  offerings,  but  which 
will  be  placed  on  sale  Thursday,  Friday,  and  Saturday 
of  this  week. 

This  notice  will  enable  you,  by  prompt  action,  to 
select  the  first  and  best  patterns  among  the  new 
arrivals. 

The  complete  list  of  regular  and  reduced  prices  is  as 
follows  : 


Suits  and  Topcoats  Suits  and  Topcoats 

$45 $36.  $70 $56. 

$50 $40.  $75 $60. 

$55 $44.  $80 $64. 

$60 $48.  $85 $68. 

$65 $52.  $100 $80. 

No  Charge  For  Alterations  ! 

Also  20%  discount  on  all  silk  shirts  and  neckwear. 


509 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


Conveying  the  atmosphere  of  foreign 
fashions. 


The  Callot  models,  chosen  by  our  personal  repre- 
sentatives at  the  Paris  openings,  have  just  arrived. 
The  private  showing,  which  you  are  invited  to 
view,  begins  Monday,  September  twentieth,  in  the 
Individual  Shops. 


In  addition  to  gowns,  suits,  and  wraps  from  this 
famous  couturier,  the  showing  includes  the  late 
arrivals  from  the  openings  of  Jenny,  Lanvin,  and 
Poiret  to  supplement  our  original  models  including 
furs  and  blouses  from  : 


Miller  Soeurs              Rolande 

Agnes 

Renee                          Patou 

Beer 

BuUoz                            Brandt 

Georgette 

Bernard                        Charlotte 

Worth 

Madeleine  et  Madeleine 

Paquin 

Copies  and  adaptations  will  be  made  in  our  own  Fifth 
Avenue  workrooms,  from  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars. 


510 


SELLING   BY   CIRCULAR 


Explicit  and   dignified  anrtbunce- 
ment  of  new  venture  and  worthy  aim. 


On  September  eleventh.  The  Evening  Post  will  begin 
the  publication  of  The  Literary  Review,  which  will 
take  the  place  of  the  present  literary  supplement. 
The  new  magazine  will  be  edited  by  Henry  Seidel 
Canby  of  Yale  University,  with  whom  WilUam  Rose 
Benet  will  be  associated. 

The  Literary  Review  will  contain  literary  essays, 
poetry,  informal  criticism,  news  of  foreign  books  and 
home  books,  news  of  literary  activity  among  authors 
and  of  scholarly  activity  in  the  universities,  corre- 
spondence on  a  wide  range  of  subjects,  notices  of  all 
books,  and  extensive  reviews  of  the  most  important. 

The  editors  hope  to  make  a  new  place  for  the  critical 
essay,  and  especially  for  the  critical  essay  based  upon 
the  world  of  thought,  emotion,  and  experience  that 
lies  behind  literature.  They  hope  also  to  institute 
sound,  competent  reviewing  by  writers  who  criticise 
conscientiously  and  criticise  well.  Reviewing  in  the 
new  Literary  Review  will  not  be  a  by-product. 

The  Literary  Review  will  have  no  political  or  literary 
"  policy"  in  its  reviewing  and  its  general  criticism.  Its 
purpose  will  be  to  set  every  significant  book  against 
its  literary,  historical,  or  scientific  background,  place 
it,  and  point  out  its  strength  and  its  weaknesses.  Its 
reviewers  will  praise  whenever  possible,  and  damn 
when  necessary  ;  but  neither  puff  nor  sneer.  Good 
writing  is  likely  to  be  good  criticism  if  the  right  man 
reviews  the  right  book.  Good  writing  we  shall  solicit, 
and  hope  for  the  French  virtues  of  clarity  and 
conciseness,  the  English  virtues  of  distinction  and 
breadth,  the  American  virtues  of  humor,  good  sense, 
and  ready  sympathy. 

The  editors  of  The  Literary  Review  will  be  glad  to 
receive  comment  and  suggestion,  and  contributions 
that  may  fit  into  the  scope  of  this  new  enterprise. 


511 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  petition  to  the  members  of  the 
Haver  fori  Industrial  Council. 


We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  respectfully  call  your 
attention  to  the  following  petition  : 

1.  Inasmuch  as  the  DayUght  Saving  [Law  lengthens 
the  evenings  and  shortens  the  mornings  of  the 
working  day ;    and 

2.  Inasmuch  as  the  working  man  is  too  tired  at  the 
end  of  his  day's  work  to  take  advantage  of  the 
lengthened  evening  for  purposes  of  recreation  or 
for  the  accompUshment  of  tasks  and  chores  at 
his  home  ;    and 

3.  Inasmuch  as  an  extra  hour  at  home  in  the  morning 
is  much  more  valuable  and  profitable  to  the  average 
working  man  for  purposes  of  gardening  at  the  time 
when  gardening  counts  for  most,  and  for  purposes 
of  giving  attention  to  stock  when  such  attention 
coimts  for  most ;    and 

4.  Inasmuch  as  the  Daylight  Saving  plan  in  general  is 
calculated  to  afford  relief  and  pleasure  principally 
to  city  workers,  and  to  those  who  have  means  and 
faciUties  for  taking  unusual  pleasures,  and  imposes 
real  hardship  upon  country  and  rural  factory 
workers,  now  therefore 

We,  the  Employees  of  the 
Haverford  Industrial  Council, 
do  ask  and  petition  that  the 
hours  of  employment  at  our 
respective  factories  during  the 
daylight  saving  period  be  made 
from  nine  to  seven  daily  rather 
than  from  eight  to  six,  and  we 
do  hereinafter  sign  ourselves 
unanimously  in  favor  of  this 
arrangement. 

signatures 


March  29.  1930 


512 


SELLING  BY  CIRCULAR 


Railway  men  protest  postal  rates  by  drawing  up  resolutions. 


The  Brotherhood  of  Railway  Signal  Men  of  America, 
at  their  convention  in  Kansas  City  during  the  middle 
of  July,  adopted  the  following  significant  resolution  : 
"  Whereas,  the  United  States  Government  has  put 
into  effect  permanent  and  successful  postal  rates  for 
the  carrying  of  first  class  postage  and  parcel  post 
packages,  and 

"Whereas,  there  has  been  what  was  commonly 
known  as  a  Second  Class  Postage,  which  applies 
largely  to  the  method  of  carrying  educational, 
scientific,  and  literary  publications,  and 
"  Now  THEREFORE  Be  it  rcsolvcd  by  the  Brotherhood 
of  Railroad  Signal  Men  of  America,  in  Convention  at 
Kansas  City,  Missouri,  assembled,  that  it  is  the 
sense  of  this  Convention,  that  the  Second  Class 
Postage  rate  is  unfair  to  all  classes  of  publications, 
because  it  limits  the  circulation  of  said  publications 
to  their  respective  zones,  or  compels  them  to  charge 
additional  subscription  rates  to  meet  the  added 
postage,  and  we  believe  that  the  restriction  of  the 
circulation  of  said  publications  is  against  the  best 
interests  of  the  American  people  for  the  reason  said 
publications  are  all  of  an  educational,  scientific,  and 
literary  nature, 

"Be  it  FURTHER  RESOLVED  That  a  committee  of 
three  (3)  be  appointed  by  the  Grand  Chief  to  confer 
with  the  American  Federation  of  Labor  relative  to 
this  matter, 

"Be  it  FURTHER  RESOLVED  That  cach  member  of 
this  Association  pledge  himself  to  call  upon  or  write 
to  his  respective  Congressman  and  United  States 
Senator,  to  the  end  that  said  Congressman  and  United 
States  Senator  may  be  informed  as  to  the  seeming 
discrepancy  in  the  postal  rates  charged  for  educa- 
tional, scientific,  and  literary  publications,  and  that 
such  orders  as  have  been  made  in  the  nature  of  war 
orders,  or  that  such  laws  as  work  a  hardship  and  an 
injustice  against  said  publications  be  revoked  and 
repealed,  and  that  new  orders  and  new  laws  be  put 
into  effect  and  enacted  to  the  end  that  such  publica- 
tions may  be  carried  thru  the  universal  postage 
heretofore  prevailing," 

This  organization  represents  over  15,000  members, 
very  closely  knit  together  and  actively  supporting  all 
of  the  official  actions  of  their  conventions  and 
committees. 


513 

33— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


STUDENTS  AT  KANSAS  MILITARY  SCHOOL 
ASK  TO  BE  KILLED 


People  don't  read  petitions,  they  merely  sign  them,  and  a  bright 
young  upper-classman  in  St.  John's  Military  School,  at  Salina,  Kansas, 
can  prove  it.  He  circulated  a  piece  of  paper  requesting  the  decapitation 
of  those  who  signed,  representing  that  it  was  a  petition  for  a  holiday, 
and  found  plenty  of  his  fellow  students  ready  to  put  their  signatures 
to  a  document  providing  not  only  that  they  should  be  "noisily 
decapitated,"  but  that  their  parents  need  not  be  notified  "as  it  will 
not  be  worth  while,"  and  that  their  personal  belongings,  "  such  as  old 
shoes,  trousers,  marbles,  .  .  .  and  chewing-gum,"  should  be  bestowed 
on  the  school  "  thereby  to  preserve  the  memory  of  otherwise  worthless 
lives."  From  either  the  psychological  or  the  jocular  standpoint,  the 
bright  young  man's  experiment  was  a  great  success.  Also,  according  to 
the  account  of  the  hoax  published  in  the  school  paper,  The  Skirmisher, 
he  chose  a  way  of  making  public  the  contents  of  his  "petition  "  that 
enabled  him  to  get  a  little  additional  "  snap  "  into  it.  As  The  Skirmisher 
tells  the  story  : 

Acting  on  the  theory  that  people  will  sign  practically  any  sort  of 
petition  without  reading  it  carefully,  if  the  introduction  of  the  petition 
sounds  all  right,  A.  G.  Oliver,  senior  captain  of  the  cadet  corps  at 
St.  John's  MiHtary  School,  recently  circulated  a  petition  calling  for  the 
decapitation  of  those  signing.     He  obtained  fifty  signatures. 

He  would  have  got  more  signatures  if  there  had  been  time.  In  the 
petition  the  words  "Holiday  "  and  "Tuesday,  February  4,"  were  type- 
written in  capitals  and  stood  out  from  the  rest  of  the  petition.  These 
were  the  words  that  did  the  work. 

A  dance  was  given  at  the  school  that  night.  During  an  intermission 
the  names  of  the  signers  were  called  out  and  the  cadets  were  told  to 
form  a  line  in  the  center  of  the  dancing  floor.  After  they  had  done 
this,  the  petition  was  read  to  the  amusement  of  the  guests  and  the 
consternation  of  the  cadets.  The  signers,  then,  for  the  first  time, 
discovered  what  they  had  signed. 

Cadet  G.  K.  Harris  stood  in  line  without  having  signed  the  petition. 
When  the  names  were  being  called  out,  thinking  he  was  going  to  miss 
a  holiday,  he  stood  anxiously  near  by.  Sergeant  Stanley  SkilUng 
noticed  his  agitation,  and  whispered,  "  Slip  in  line,  they'll  not  notice 
that  your  name  wasn't  called."  Harris  obeyed  cheerfully  and  stood 
in  line  at  attention  with!the  rest.    The  petition  follows  : 

"St.  John's  MiUtary  School,  Salina,  Kansas, 
February  3,   1919. 

"  To  the  Faculty  of  St.  John's  Military  School : 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  respectfully  submit  the  following 
petition  : 

514 


SELLING  BY  CIRCULAR 


"  That  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  cadet  corps  has  been  unusually 
conscientious  in  the  performance  of  its  duties  and  obUgations  and 
that  the  school  spirit  heretofore  displayed  has  been  a  great  credit 
to  the  institution,  and  since  the  officers  have  been  very  punctiUous 
in  the  performance  of  their  duties  to  the  great  assistance  and  relief 
of  the  faculty, 

"Be  it  hereby  respectfully  petitioned  that  if 

A  Holiday 

be  considered  on  Tuesday,  February  4,  the  faculty  postpone  the  same 
indefinitely  as  an  unworthy  reward  for  the  above-mentioned  excellencies 
and  virtues. 

"  As  a  more  fitting  recognition  of  our  achievements,  we  beg  that 
something  be  granted  which  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  On  the  date 
aforementioned,  we  request  that  we,  the  undersigned,  be  conducted  to 
the  rear  of  the  gymnasium  and  be  there  noisily  decapitated. 

"  The  formality  of  notifying  our  parents  can  be  done  away  with,  as 
it  will  not  be  worth  while.  All  our  belongings,  such  as  textbooks, 
old  shoes,  trousers,  jerseys,  kite-strings,  photographs,  marbles,  shinny 
clubs,  pennants,  paper  airplanes,  and  chewing-gum  we  dedicate  to  the 
school,  hoping  thereby  to  preserve  the  memory  of  otherwise  useless  lives. 

"  All  of  which  we  humbly  petition." 

The  signatures,  fifty  of  them,  follow,  and  are  printed  in  full  by  The 
Skirmisher  for  the  edification  of  the  signers'  fellow  "  studes." 

From  The  Literary  Digest  for  March  29,  1919. 


A  Business  Letter  Writer's  Creed. 

I  believe  in  the  gospel  of  Better  Business  Letters. 

I  beUeve  in  Dignified  Business  Letter  Form,  in  Courteous  Business 
Letter  Tone,  in  Enlightened  Business  Letter  Attitude. 

I  beheve  in  the  Elimination  of  Business  Letter  Bromides,  in  the 
Economy  of  Business  Letter  Phraseology,  in  the  Elucidation  of  Business 
Letter  Purpose,  and  in  the  Energizing  of  Business  Letter  Content. 

I  beUeve  in  Long  Ideas  and  Short  Diction,  in  Long  Sense  and  Short 
Sentences,  in  Long  Power  and  Short  Powergraphs,  in  Long  Tact  and 
Short  Tactics,  in  Long  Courtesy  and  in  No  Kicks  at  All,  in  Business 
Letters. 

I  believe  that  every  Business  Letter  should  be  a  Human  Document 
written  by  a  Humanized  Man  or  Woman  to  Human  Beings,  with 
Human  Feeling,  for  Human  Reasons. 

I  believe  that  there  is  no  Greater  Opportunity  in  Poem,  Drama, 
or  Romance  for  the  Play  of  Imagination  and  the  Exercise  of  Genius 
than  exists  between  the  Gentlemen  and  the  Very  truly  yours  of  the 
Business  Letter. 

I  believe  that  every  Business  Letter  may  be  made  a  Potential  Power, 

515 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


not  only  in  the  Establishment  and  Maintenance  of  Agreeable  Human 
Relationships,  but  as  well  in  the  Building  of  Enterprise,  in  the 
Development  of  Empire,  and  in  the  Amity  among  Peoples. 

I  believe  that  every  Business  Letter  indisputably  reveals  the  Standard 
of  Culture,  Character,  and  Capacity  of  the  Man  and  the  House  behind 
it,  and  that  it  measures  to  the  balance  of  a  feather  the  Ambitions 
and  the  Abilities  of  Both. 

I  believe  that  every  Business  Letter  I  write  is  either  a  Fiction  or  a 
Philosophy,  a  Blunder  or  a  Builder,  a  Bang  or  a  Boost — and  that 
there  is  no  middle  ground. 

AND 

I  believe  that  I  have  it  in  me  to  Illuminate  every  Business  Letter 
I  write  with  a  Spirit  of  Broad  Sympathy  and  General  Good  Fellowship 
toward  the  Individual  to  whom  it  is  written. 


PRACTICE 

1.  Compose  appropriate  inserts  to  be  sent  with  each  of  the 
following  :  an  automobile  sales  letter  ;  a  department  shop  monthly 
statement  ;  a  monthly  statement  from  a  bank ;  a  letter  of 
acknowledgment  from  a  bookshop ;  a  haberdasher's  collection 
letter. 

2.  Write  an  announcement  for  the  opening  of  a  branch  shop 
selling  electric  fixtures  or  women's  blouses  or  sport  goods  or 
stationery. 

3.  Write  an  announcement  for  the  opening  of  a  new  department 
in  a  bank,  such  as,  trust  or  savings  or  foreign. 

4.  Write  an  announcement  for  the  annual  fall  showing  of  women's 
wraps  in  a  department  shop. 

5.  Write  an  announcement  for  the  opening  of  an  enlarged  and 
individualized  men's  shop  in  a  department  shop. 

6.  Write  an  announcement  for  a  special  holiday  number  of 
some  magazine  or  house  organ. 

7.  Write  an  announcement  for  the  postponement  of  a  club 
meeting  caused  by  the  death  of  a  prominent  member. 

8.  Draw  up  resolutions  on  the  death  of  a  member  of  the  firm  by 
which  you  are  employed. 

9.  Compose  a  good-humored  invitation  for  an  employees'  party 
or  ball  or  field  day  or  excursion. 

10.  Compose  a  code  of  rules  and  regulations  for  an  employees* 

516 


SELLING  BY  CIRCULAR 


club  organized  to  foster  a  congenial  and  cooperative  spirit  among 
employees,  and  between  employees  and  employers. 

11.  Compose  a  creed  for  better  letters,  to  be  circulated  among 
those  employees  of  a  large  firm  who  are  responsible  for  the  letter 
output  of  the  firm. 

12.  Compose  a  letter  of  instruction  and  information  about  the 
policies  and  practices  of  your  firm,  to  be  distributed  to  new 
employees. 

13.  Make  a  report  on  the  work  of  some  club  or  association  of 
which  you  are  a  member.  The  report  should  cover  a  period  of 
not  less  than  six  months.     Preface  it  with  an  outline. 

14.  You  are  a  salesman  for  a  large  woolen  or  silk  or  leather  or 
paper  house,  and  have  just  returned  from  a  long  trip  over  the 
country.  You  hand  in  a  report  explaining  territory  covered,  sales 
made  to  old  customers,  new  fields  developed,  fluctuating  status  of 
the  trade  in  various  parts,  your  impressions  of  business  in  general, 
and  of  your  business  in  particular,  activities  of  rival  firms,  promise 
for  next  year  as  you  see  it,  and  measures  your  company  should 
take  to  meet  it.  Write  the  report  covering  these  and  perhaps  other 
points.  Preface  it  with  an  outline,  and  run  a  marginal  outline 
thruout. 


517 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


BUSINESS    LETTER   SERVICE 

Boston  New  York  Philadelphia  Chicago 

October  Third 
Nineteen  Thirty 

Mr.  Harold  Wood 
25  Wycliffe  Avenue 
Cleveland,  Ohio 

Dear  Mr.  Wood 

A  short  letter  should  be  so  placed 
as  to  agree  in  general  outline  with 
the  paper  on  which  it  stands 

The  parts  may  be  double-spaced, 
and  the  body  single-spaced,  as  in 
this  letter.  But  the  eye  is  the 
ultimate  guide 

Whatever  you  do,  do  N  O  T  write 
the  short  letter  in  a  long  line  or 
two  and  thus  leave  a  prairie-land 
of  space  at  top  and  bottom  of  the 
sheet 


Yours  cordially 
John  B.  Opdycke 


JBO/CC 


518 


CHAPTER  X 
ARTICLES  FOR  STUDY    AND  DICTATION 

Religion,  love,  and  science,  philosophy  and  art. 
Have  long  employed  the  letter  their  motifs  to  impart ; 
And  business,  taking  lesson  from  this  goodly  companie, 
Has  gone  them  all  one  better,  like  an  infant  prodigy. 

Every  month  brings  to  light  in  the  current  magazines,  articles 
that  pertain  to  business  letter  writing  in  some  of  its  many  phases. 
There  could  be  no  stronger  evidence  of  the  perennial  interest  of 
and  in  the  subject  than  the  vast  amount  of  periodical  literature 
that  is  constantly  appearing  about  it,  and  this  not  only  in  the 
special  publications  but  in  the  general  magazines  as  well.  The 
few  articles  that  are  reproduced  in  this  chapter  are  significant  of 
the  influence  of  the  better  letter  movement.  All  but  one  or  two 
of  them  have  appeared  in  a  monthly  or  a  weekly  publication,  as 
explained  at  the  place  of  reproduction.  Every  article  in  this 
chapter  should  be  read  and  studied  by  all  who  are  interested  in  the 
subject  of  better  business  letters.  Teachers  of  stenography  will 
do  well  to  use  the  articles  for  exercises  in  dictation,  and  thus  afford 
pupils  appropriate  content  as  well  as  profitable  practice. 

In  the  article  on  page  521,  Mr.  Samuel  Stebbins,  of  the  publicity  de- 
partment of  the  Guaranty  Trust  Company  of  New  York,  presents  an 
excellent  exposition  of  the  way  mail  is  handled  in  one  large  financial 
institution.  Mr.  Stebbins  is  a  wide-range  writer  in  the  field  of 
business  literature  :  he  turns  out  letters,  booklets,  articles,  and 
advertising  copy.  Naturally  a  man  thus  variously  engaged  has  a 
letter  creed.  Here  is  Mr.  Stebbins'  creed  :  "Be  natural.  To  my 
mind,  a  natural  human  note  is  the  thing  most  to  be  striven  for  in 
writing  a  business  letter — and  the  thing  often  hardest  to  achieve." 


519 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


BUSINESS    LETTER    SERVICE 

BostoD  New  York  Philadelphia  Chicago 


APRIL 
TENTH 
19     3  0 


Mrs.  Abner  Jones 
20  Forsythe  Terrace 
Brooklyn,  New  York 

Dear  Madam: 


A  striking  arrangement  of  letter  material  is 
often  made  in  this  way,  in  order  to  add  to  the 
effectiveness  of  the  general  letter  picture. 

This  device  is  not  recommended  for  general 
use.     But  for  the  sake  of 

STRONG  and  UNUSUAL 
ADVERTISING  APPEALS 

it  may  be  used  on  occasion  with  gratifying 
results. 

One  serious  objection  to  it  may  be  that  it  is 
very  wasteful  of  space.  But  do  not  forget 
that  space  is  to  letter  writing  and  advertis- 
ing copy  what  pause  is  to  oratory. 


Cordially  yours, 


John  B.  Opdycke,  Secretary 
BUSINESS  LETTER  SERVICE 


JBOxCT 


520 


ARTICLES   FOR  STUDY  AND  DICTATION 


THE  GUARANTY'S  MAILING  DEPARTMENT  ^ 

By  Samuel  Stebbins 

Of  the  Guaranty  Trust  Company  of  New  York 
Publicity  Department 


TUCKED  away  in  one  corner  of  the 
ninth  floor,  functioning  smoothly 
and  quietly,  attracting  no  limelight  but 
taken  as  a  matter  of  course,  is  one  of  the 
busiest  departments  of  the  Company  and 
one  of  the  most  essential — the  Mailing 
Department.  There  is  nothing  of  romance 
in  its  name  ;  but  after  one  has  peeped  be- 
hind the  scenes  and  seen  something  of  the 
workings  of  this  combination  Post  Office 
substation,  accounting  bureau,  detective 
agency,  and  information  ofl&ce,  one  looks 
at  the  prosaic  sign  on  its  door  with  both 
respect  and  admiration.  An  organization 
of  nearly  forty  people  that  handled 
4,580,573  pieces  of  mail  matter  in  the 
year  1919  and  found  time  in  between  to 
keep  a  lot  of  statistics,  hunt  down  the 
whereabouts  of  people  who  didn't  bother 
to  give  their  addresses  in  their  letters,  and 
dispense  all  sorts  of  information,  such  as 
train  schedules  to  Kankakee,  steamers 
to  Port  Said,  and  how  much  it  costs  to 
send  a  letter  to  Timbuctoo — such  an 
organization  becomes,  on  second  look, 
something  more  than  merely  a  well-oiled 
piece  of  machinery. 


BEGIN    DAY    AT    MIDNIGHT 

This  active  little  Department  loses  no 
time  in  beginning  its  working  day — it 
begins  right  with  the  clock,  at  twelve 
midnight.  At  that  time  the  "first  shift," 
a  quartet  of  early  risers,  one  of  them  a 
special  officer,  reports  at  the  City  Hall 
Post  Office  to  receive  the  first  batch  of 
mail.  This  runs  anywhere  from  two  to  five 
or  six  big  mail  sacks,  and  is  brought  down 
to  140  Broadway  in  a  little  hand  truck. 
And  this  mail,  itself  as  much  or  more  than 
the  entire  mail  of  thousands  of  concerns 
throughout  the  country,  is  but  the  begin- 
ning ;  hourly  trips  are  made  thereafter 
during  the  day  for  additional  batches. 

Arrived  at  the  Mailing  Department, 
the  envelopes  are  speeded,  two  at  a  time, 
through  a  pair  of  electric-driven  machines 
which  slit  thin  slices  from  their  edges. 

*  Reprinted  by  permission  from  "  The 
organ  of  the  Guaranty  Trust  Company  of 


Each  envelope  is  opened,  not  once,  in  the 
usual  manner,  but  on  three  edges.  This 
enables  it  to  be  spread  out  flat,  and  prac- 
tically eliminates  the  possibility  of  over- 
looking any  inclosures.  Then  the  process 
of  reading  the  letters  and  sorting  them 
out  for  the  various  departments  begins. 
For  this  work  the  Mailing  Department 
uses  an  elaborate  chart  showing  the  func- 
tions of  each  of  the  many  departments 
throughout  the  Company.  Attention  is 
given  first  to  items  for  the  Transit  Depart- 
ment. To  help  in  this  work,  a  shift  from 
that  department  comes  in  at  one  a.m. 
In  this  way  the  Transit  Department  is 
enabled  to  have  the  great  volume  of  its 
mail  items  ready  for  the  opening  of 
the  Clearing  House  at  ten  o'clock — an 
important  factor  in  its  work. 

DOUBLE   FORCE   AT   WORK 

At  six-thirty  in  the  morning  the  second 
shift  of  the  Mailing  Department  appears 
on  the  scene.  As  the  first  shift  does  not 
leave  imtil  eight  o'clock,  there  is  for  a 
time  a  double  force  at  work  on  the  mail, 
thus  permitting  the  great  bulk  of  it  to  be 
distributed  to  the  various  departments 
when  the  Company's  business  day  for- 
mally begins  at  nine  o'clock.  After  that 
hour,  deliveries  to  and  collections  from 
the  departments  are  made  hourly,  with, 
as  has  been  said,  hourly  trips  to  the  Post 
Office,  each  trip  under  the  guard  of  a 
special  officer.  The  second  shift  finishes 
its  labors  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
at  which  time  the  third  shift  comes  on 
and  stays  on  until  the  huge  volume  of  out- 
going mail  is  taken  care  of,  which  means 
from  eight-thirty  to  ten  in  the  evening. 
When  it  is  realized  that  2,633,269  pieces 
of  outgoing  mail  matter  passed  through 
the  Mailing  Department  in  1919,  and 
that  the  great  proportion  of  this  Work 
falls  on  the  third  shift,  it  will  be  seen  that 
there  is  plenty  of  work  for  them  to  do. 

And  getting  out  the  outgoing  mail  does 
not  consist  merely  of  carrying  it  to  the 
Post    Office.      Each   letter   is   carefully 

Guaranty  News"  (January,  1920),  house 
New  York. 


521 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


checked  as  it  passes  through  the  Depart- 
ment to  see  that  the  envelope  accom- 
panying it  bears  the  same  address  as  the 
letter  and  that  any  inclosures  mentioned 
are  actually  present.  The  envelopes  are 
then  given  to  the  care  of  a  nervous  little 
machine  which  seizes  them  individually, 
seals  them,  and  throws  them  out  faster 
than  one  can  count.  But  more  important 
than  these  more  or  less  mechanical  opera- 
tions is  the  work  of  watching  the  Post 
Office  schedules  in  order  that  important 
mail  for  out-of-town  points  may  catch 
certam  trains.  It  often  means  a  loss  of 
twelve  hours  if  mail  for,  say, 'Birmingham, 
Alabama,  does  not  reach  the  Post  Office 
in  time  to  be  placed  on  a  certain  train.  So 
the  Department  maintains  a  ceaseless 
watch  on  such  matters  and  bends  every 
effort  to  get  the  mail  on  the  fastest  trains. 

In  a  similar  manner,  the  Foreign  Mail- 
ing Division  of  the  Department,  which 
handles  the  Foreign  Department's  mail, 
watches  steamer  schedules.  In  this  Divi- 
sion mail  for  all  comers  of  the  globe  is 
sorted  in  racks,  to  be  placed  in  envelopes 
and  dispatched  on  the  appropriate 
"  steamer  day."  Thiswork  often  requires 
a  combined  knowledge  of  train  and 
steamer  schedules,  in  order  to  catch 
steamers  sailing  from  other  ports  in  the 
United  States,  as  New  Orleans,  Galves- 
ton, Miami,  etc.,  whence  mail  is  dis- 
patched to  South  American  coimtries. 
And  in  these  days  a  not  unimportant 
part  of  the  work  of  this  Division  is  to 
observe  the  addresses  on  all  foreign  mail 
and  particularly  that  going  to  the  new 
countries  of  Europe.  Many  mistakes 
are  detected  in  the  course  of  the  day's 
work,  and  mail  that  otherwise  would  be 
sent  to  the  other  hemisphere  only  even- 
tually to  return,  undelivered,  is  given  a 
correct  destination.  During  all  the  years 
of  the  war  no  letter  sent  to  Europe  by 
'the  Guaranty  Trust  Company  was  lost. 
Incoming  and  outgoing,  this  Division 
handled  1,931,836  pieces  of  mail  in  1919. 

Incoming  registered  mail  is  likewise 
handled  in  a  separate  division,  which 
accomplishes  its  work  in  one  shift,  begin- 
ning at  8:00  A.M.  At  that  time  the  regis- 
tered mail  is  received  at  the  Post  Office 
and,  accompanied  by  a  special  officer, 
brought  to  the  Mailing  Department.  It 
is  there  opened  and  the  contents  imme- 
diately verified.  Seciurities  of  all  sorts, 
coupons,  and  important  papers  of  various 
kinds  in  connection  with  the  settling  of 
estates,  financial  operations,  etc.,  are 
received  in  this  manner.   In  case  a  mem- 


ber of  the  Division  finds  a  discrepancy 
between  the  actual  inclosures  and  the 
items  mentioned  in  the  letter,  he  imme- 
diately calls  the  attention  of  another 
member  to  it,  and  the  two  place  their 
initials  on  the  letter  with  a  notation  of 
matter.  The  Division,  after  sorting  the 
mail,  makes  a  record  of  the  contents  of  all 
registered  mail  received,  and  delivers  the 
mail  to  the  departments  against  receipt. 
And  they  went  through  all  these  opera- 
tions 109,994  times  in  1919  ! 

When  time  hangs  heavy  on  its  hands, 
the  Department  compUes  statistics.  It 
keeps  on  hand  envelopes  addressed  to  the 
chief  correspondent  banks  of  the  com- 
pany, to  the  number  of  some  two  hundred, 
not  to  mention  the  addressed  envelopes 
used  by  the  Foreign  Mailing  Division, 
besides  a  general  stock  of  postage  stamps 
and  stamped  envelopes  to  the  time  of 
about  $10,000.  All  the  postage  used 
throughout  the  Company  and  in  its  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Madison  Avenue  offices  here 
in  New  York  is  charged  to  the  Mailing 
Department,  and  requisitions  for  stamps 
and  envelopes  from  other  departments 
are  filled  by  it.  All  this  requires  no  small 
amount  of  record-keeping;  and  then,  just 
to  show  how  good  it  really  is,  the  Depart- 
ment keeps  track  of  the  amount  of  post- 
age used  day  by  day  by  each  department 
of  the  Company.  In  that  way,  when  a 
worried  Department  Head  is  making  up 
his  budget,  he  can  find  out  to  the  dot  how 
much  his  department  used  up  in  postage 
during  a  given  time. 

For  the  entertainment  of  the  statis- 
tically minded,  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
during  1919  the  Mailing  Department  used 
$188,804.  worth  of  stamps  and  stamped 
envelopes  ;  and  that  the  average  daily  ex- 
penditure is  $65.  to  $100.  for  the  General 
Mailing  Division,  with  $125.  or  more  for 
the  Foreign  Mailing  Division.  Of  course 
"  statement  day "  at  the  end  of  the 
month  sends  this  amount  sky-rocketing, 
$400.  or  more  being  the  figure  for  such  a 
day.  Incidentally,  a  special  shift  of 
twenty  men  is  put  on  at  such  times  to 
handle  the  volume  of  statements  going 
out  to  customers  of  the  Company. 

Reference  was  made  to  this  Depart- 
ment as  a  detective  agency.  That  comes 
about  through  its  system  of  keeping  all 
the  envelopes  of  incoming  letters  for 
about  a  week.  Frequent  calls  are  received 
for  the  envelope  in  which  a  certain  letter 
came,  to  determine  time  of  mailing,  for 
instance  ;  and  in  a  number  of  cases  the 
Department  has,  by  work  that  would  do 


522 


ARTICLES   FOR  STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


credit  to  many  a  professional  sleuth, 
hunted  down  the  address  of  some  corre- 
spondent who  hadn't  considered  such  a 
matter  of  sufficient  importance  to  incor- 
porate in  his  letter,  but  who  nevertheless 
expected  an  answer.  And  just  to  make 
assurance  doubly  sure,  the  envelopes  for 
the  day  are  all  looked  through  again  for 
possible  inclosures  before  being  put  away. 

AN   INFORMATION    BUREAU 

In-between-times  the  Department  an- 
swers countless  telephone  calls  for  infor- 
mation on  train  schedules  to  all  parts  of 
the  country  and  steamship  sailings  to  the 
four  corners  of  the  earth — it  has  to  know 
these  things  in  its  own  work,  and  folks 
just  naturally  seem  to  turn  to  it  when 
they  want  to  know  how  Cousin  Emma 
can  come  on  from  Moose  Lake,  Minn., 
without  having  to  cross  from  one  station 
to  another  at  Chicago,  or  how  often  there 
is  a  boat  to  Foochow.  And,  of  course, 
they  expect  information  on  any  phase  of 
the  postal  rules  and  regulations,  on  rates 
of    postage    on    parcel-post    matter    to 


Ypsilanti  or  Singapore,  and  the  many 
and  varied  technical  rules  covering  the 
wrapping  and  packing  of  different  classes 
of  mail  matter. 

George  J.  H.  Follmer,  who  has  been 
Head  of  the  Mailing  Department  since 
October  2,  1917,  came  to  the  company 
in  March  of  that  year.  He  was  formerly 
an  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Mails  of 
the  New  York  Post  Ofl&ce.  In  that  capac- 
ity, he  had  charge  of  the  Order  Depart- 
ment, of  Instructions  and  Information, 
and  of  all  the  distribution  schemes  of  the 
various  States,  the  mail  for  which  is 
distributed  and  routed  by  the  New  York 
Post  Office.  He  also  had  direct  control  of 
the  pneumatic  tube,  mail  wagon,  and 
other  transportation  schedules,  and 
planned  all  mail  transportation  schedules 
now  in  use  in  this  city.  Mr.  Follmer  is  a 
member  of  the  Committee  on  Postal 
Affairs  of  the  Merchants'  Association  of 
New  York,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Sub- 
Committee  on  Personnel  of  Committee  on 
Postal  Facilities  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  the  United  States  of 
America. 


The  following  article  appeared  anonymously  in  "  The  American 
Magazine"  for  March,  1919.  It  is  a  sort  of  business  letter  con- 
fessional, and  it  shows  in  a  very  engaging  manner  just  what  a 
sincere  human  document  every  business  letter  can  and  ought  to 
be.  The  subtitle  of  the  article  may  well  be  :  How  the  Head  of  a 
Great  Business  Uses  his  Knowledge  of  Human  Nature  to  Bring 
Money  thru  the  Mails  : 


WHAT  I  HAVE  LEARNED  ABOUT  WRITING 
LETTERS! 


I  AST  year  our  business  amounted  to 
about  three  quarters  of  a  million 
dollars  a  week,  which  meant 
^that  every  day  in  the  year  we 
received  between  seven  and 
eight  thousand  letters,  most  of  them  con- 
taining money.  It  is  needless  to  say  that 
only  an  infinitesimal  percentage  of  those 
letters  ever  reached  my  desk  ;  but  I  know 
how  every  one  of  them  was  answered  ; 
and  I  believe  that  practically  every  one 
of  the  writers  of  those  letters  felt  that  his 
commimication  had  received  special  and 
personal  attention. 


To  our  capacity  for  inspiring  that  fuel- 
ing through  our  correspondence,  rather 
than  to  any  other  single  factor,  I  ascribe 
the  remarkable  growth  of  our  business. 

We  have  learned  a  good  many  interest- 
ing things  about  mail  in  these  twenty- 
two  years.  For  example,  we  know  that 
on  any  given  day  approximately  the  same 
number  of  persons  will  write  to  complain 
that  their  goods  were  received  in  bad  con- 
dition. We  know  about  how  many  will 
write  us  every  day  that  our  "  catalogue 
is  the  finest  they  have  ever  seen  and  that 
they  could  not  keep  house  without  it." 


Reprinted  by  permission  from  "The  American  Magazine"  for  March,  1919. 

523 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


Select  any  one  day  of  the  year,  and  we 
can  tell  you  by  looking  at  our  records 
just  about  how  many  persons  will  stamp 
an  envelope  and  address  it  to  us,  and  just 
what  the  average  amoimt  of  money  en- 
closed in  those  envelopes  will  be.  It  is 
no  longer  necessary  for  us  even  to  count 
the  letters  in  order  to  estimate  the  money 
value  of  a  day's  mail  ;wedo  it  much  more 
expeditiously  and  just  as  accurately  by 
merely  throwing  the  mail  onto  the  scales. 
So  many  pounds  mean  so  many  dollars  ! 
The  amount  later  reported  by  the  accoun- 
ting department  will  tally  with  the  esti- 
mate made  by  the  scales  to  a  degree  that 
strikes  the  outsider  as  almost  vmcanny. 

The  danger  I  have  constantly  to  guard 
against  is  that  familiarity  with  mail  in  the 
mass  should  breed  in  our  people  a  certain 
contempt.  In  other  words,  that  they 
should  come  to  look  at  mail  as  merely 
mail,  and  fail  to  see  and  feel  behind  every 
individual  letter  a  human  hand  and 
heart.  It  is  a  danger  that  applies  to  every 
man  in  business  whether  his  day's  mail 
consists  of  a  thousand  letters  or  of  ten. 

ONE  afternoon  last  week  I  had,  in  the 
office  of  a  doctor  friend  of  mine,  an 
excellent  illustration  of  that  fact.  He  was 
just  then  getting  around  to  his  morning's 
letters.  They  dealt  with  purely  profes- 
sional matters  ;  and  being  in  the  same 
room  with  him  I  could  not  fail  to  over- 
hear his  diet  at  ion .  It  was  very  interesting. 
In  each  instance  he  began  by  reading  off 
the  full  name  and  address  of  his  corre- 
spondent, although  both  were  written  or 
printed  on  the  letter  which  went  into  his 
stenographer's  hands  a  moment  later. 
His  answers  ran  something  like  this  : 

Dear  Sir  :  In  answer  to  your  letter  of  July 
11th,  in  which  you  inquire  about  the  condition 
of  your  brother,  Samuel  Robinson,  who  is  under 
treatment  at  the  Roosevelt  Hospital,  I  beg  to 
state  that  there  has  been  no  special  change  in 
his  Condition. 

I  will  state  further  that  should  any  change 
of  serious  character  occur  in  the  next  few  days 
I  shall  be  glad  to  advise  you  by  wire,  as  per 
your  request. 

Assuring  you  that  you  will  be  advised  imme- 
diately of  any  important  developments,  I  am, 
etc. 

Each  letter  made  a  simple  inquiry, 
which  the  doctor  in  conversation  or  over 
the  telephone  would  have  answered  in  a 
half-dozen  words.  Yet  because  his  answer 
was  to  be  written  instead  of  spoken  he 
invariably  used  the  same  wordy,  stilted 
form.  Apparently  it  had  never  occurred 
to  him  that  good  letter  writing  is  simply 


good  conversation,  and  that  the  more 
fully  a  letter  embodies  the  individuality 
of  the  writer  the  better  it  becomes.  To 
him,  the  dictation  of  his  mail  was  a 
thing  entirely  apart  from  the  other 
functions  of  his  personality  and  must 
follow  forms  worked  out  long  ago. 

I  tried  to  picture  Mr.  John  H.  Robin- 
son, of  Maple  Street,  Chicago,  as  he  would 
receive  the  doctor's  letter.  There  are 
forty-three  words  in  the  first  paragraph, 
and  thirty-four  of  these  Mr.  Robinson 
would  have  to  read  before  gaining  any 
information  whatever. 

"In  answer  to  yourletterof  July  1 1th." 

It  was  the  only  letter  Mr.  Robinson  had 
ever  written  the  doctor.  The  doctor's 
printed  letterhead  would  cry  out  to  him 
that  this  must  be  an  answer  to  that  epistle. 

"  In  which  you  inquire  about  the  con- 
dition of  your  brother,"  etc.  All  poppy- 
cock and  camouflage  !  There  was  only 
one  subject  on  which  Mr.  Robinson  would 
write  to  the  doctor,  and  he  does  not  have 
to  be  reminded,  four  days  later,  what 
that  subject  is. 

IF  THE  doctor  could  have  forgotten 
for  a  moment  that  he  was  dictating  a 
letter  and  have  imagined  himself  answer- 
ing Mr.  Robinson's  question  in  person,  he 
would  have  said  something  like  this  : 

Dear  Mr.  Robinson  :  Your  brother  is  receiv- 
ing the  best  possible  care  at  Roosevelt  Hospital. 
You  may  count  on  me  to  wire  you  the  minute 
there  is  any  change  in  his  condition.  Mean- 
while, don't  worry.  Until  you  hear  from  me 
to  the  contrary  you  may  rest  assured  he  is 
all  right. 

In  those  few  lines  there  is  something  of 
the  doctor's  own  radiant  and  confidence- 
inspiring  personality.  The  other  was  an 
ill-fitting  cloak,  hiding  the  qualities  that 
have  made  him  so  successful. 

As  he  plowed  on  conscientiously 
through  the  other  letters,  never  varying 
the  formula  of  his  reply,  I  wondered  how 
many  thousand  times  that  scene  is 
repeated  in  business  offices  every  day  ; 
how  many  hours  are  wasted  by  patient 
stenographers  in  making  pothooks  to 
represent  "In  answer  to  your  letter  of," 
and  "Yours  received  and  contents  noted." 

Have  the  stenographer  and  typewriter 
enslaved  us  to  a  lot  of  phrases  ?  And  if 
so,  isn't  it  time  that  we  threw  off  the 
shackles  of  that  slavery  ? 

Most  of  the  doctor's  correspondents 
are  persons  whom  he  has  known  at  least 
slightly.  Yet  he  wrote  to  them  as  though 
they  were  not  human  beings  at  all,  but 


524 


ARTICLES   FOR   STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


impersonal  objects.  Of  our  millions  of 
correspondents,  on  the  contrary,  few  are 
ever  seen  by  us.  Yet  we  talk  to  them  as 
though  they  were  present  in  person — 
almost  as  if  they  were  intimate  friends. 

I  have  never  forgotten  the  thrill  that 
came  to  me  when  from  my  little  one- 
room  office  I  watched  the  mail  bag  go 
out,  carrying  the  copies  of  my  first  thin 
catalogue,  and  the  letter  I  had  written 
to  accompany  it.  I  pictured  that  letter 
making  its  way  into  humble  homes  all 
over  the  country  ;  I  could  see  it  carried 
from  town  by  the  father  of  the  family. 
I  watched  the  members  of  the  family 
poring  over  it  after  supper  by  the  light  of 
a  kerosene  lamp.  That  picture  had  been 
with  me  when  I  wrote  the  letter,  and  I 
tried  to  write  as  informally  and  sincerely 
as  though  I  were  present  in  each  separate 
home,  talking  and  answering  the 
questions  of  its  occupants. 

The  fascination  of  that  scene  has  not 
grown  any  less  strong  with  me  in  the 
passing  years.  What  in  the  world  can  be 
more  wonderful  than  this — to  take  a 
blank  sheet  of  paper  and  fill  it  with 
written  characters  :  and  then  to  come 
down  to  the  office  a  few  days  later  and 
discover  that  these  written  characters, 
entering  into  the  minds  of  folks  who  are 
nothing  more  than  names  to  you,  have 
created  in  those  minds  certain  images 
and  desires  so  strong  as  to  induce  them 
to  flood  your  ofiice  with  checks  and 
money  orders  ! 

I  never  pass  our  mail  room  without  a 
certain  sense  of  awe.  I  feel  rather  like 
lifting  my  hat  when  I  remember  how 
much  faith  is  represented  in  those  bags 
of  letters.  Talk  about  the  pen  being 
mightier  than  the  sword  !  Much  of  the 
money  in  those  bags  is  from  people  who 
would  die  under  the  torture  of  an  invad- 
ing array  rather  than  surrender  their 
savings.  Yet  this  money  they  give  up 
without  hesitation,  to  a  man  whom  they 
have  never  seen,  and  perhaps  never  will 
see,  under  pleasant  persuasion  of  a  few 
written  characters  on  a  sheet  of  paper. 

I  had  little  experience  in  the  technic 
of  letter  writing  when  I  began  business. 
Whatever  skill  I  may  have  today  has 
come  as  the  result  of  learning  all  that  I 
could  from  men  who  know  more  about 
the  subject  than  I  do.  A  fundamental 
principle  which  I  had  been  practicing 
unconsciously  for  a  good  many  years 
was  put  into  words  for  me  only  a  little 
while  ago  by  a  man  who  has  applied  it 
successfully  in  his  own  business. 


"  The  first  great  principle  in  writing  a 
letter,"  he  said,  "  is  to  get  into  step  with 
your  reader.  Have  you  ever  watched  a 
man  running  for  a  street  car  ?  He  does 
not  jump  at  it  head  on.  At  least,  not  if 
he  is  wise.  What  he  does  is  to  run  along 
beside  the  car,  increasing  his  speed  grad- 
ually until  he  is  moving  just  as  fast  as 
the  car.  Then  he  steps  easily  and 
comfortably  aboard. 

"  Now,  any  man's  mind  when  he  opens 
his  morning  mail,"  continued  my  friend, 
"  is  in  motion  and  busy  with  problems  of 
its  own.  Like  the  street  car,  it  is  moving 
along  its  own  track  and  your  problem 
is  to  get  your  letter  aboard  his  moving 
mind,  to  get  him  to  thinking  about  the 
subject  that  is  of  interest  to  you.  It  is 
right  at  this  point  that  the  average  letter 
falls  down.  It  leaps  at  the  man's  mind 
and  lands  with  a  thump.  What  it  should 
do  is  to  '  get  in  step.*  It  should  approach 
him  with  an  assertion  or  an  observation 
with  which  it  will  be  perfectly  easy  for 
him  to  agree.  It  should  put  him  at  once 
into  the  attitude  of  assent — get  him  to 
saying,  '  Yes,  that's  so,'  and,  'Yes,  I've 
often  thought  of  that  myself.'  Thus  a 
good  letter  will  lead  its  reader  on  from 
paragraph  to  paragraph,  keeping  him 
always  saying  '  Yes,'  and  '  Yes,'  until  it 
brings  him  to  the  final  '  Yes '  that  puts 
his  name  on  the  dotted  line." 

Many  of  us  have  employed  that  prin- 
ciple. Yet  if  you  would  discover  how 
many  fail  to  practice  it,  analyze  the  next 
half-dozen  selling  letters  that  come  to 
your  desk.  You  will  find  among  them  the 
letter  that  lands  on  your  mental  platform 
with  some  such  jarring  thud  as  this  : 

You  simply  cannot  afford  to  miss  our  great 
February  sale. 

To  which,  of  course,  the  interrupted 
and  irritated  mind  raises  the  obvious 
answer  :  "Oh,  I  can't,  can't  I  ?  Well, 
who  told  you  that  I  couldn't  ?  " 

Or  the  letter  that  leaps  at  you  with  : 

No  other  concern  in  the  business  has  ever 
made  such  an  attractive  proposition  as  this. 

And  the  stubborn  mind,  bristlmg, 
retorts  :  "Is  that  so  ?  Well,  you've  got 
to  show  me." 

In  other  words,  both  letters — and  they 
are  typical  of  thousands — rouse  the  very 
critical  faculty  they  ought  to  soothe. 
They  place  the  reader  at  once  on  the  seat 
of  the  scornful,  when  they  ought  to  settle 
him  in  the  comfortable  morris  chair  of 


525 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


agreement  and  carry  him  forward  gently 
to  the  order  blank. 


WE  HAVE  in  our  office  the  very  com- 
monplace rule  that  no  letter  shall 
begin  with  the  words  "  we  "or  "  I."  The 
rule  is  not  original  with  us,  of  course  : 
nearly  every  good  letter  writer  has  estab- 
lished it  for  the  guidance  of  himself  and 
his  employees,  and  the  reason  behind  it  is 
perfectly  plain.  Every  reader  of  a  letter 
is  chiefly  interested  in  his  own  affairs. 
Anything  that  "  we  "  may  say  to  him 
about  us  or  our  concern  is  of  far  less  im- 
portance to  him  than  a  proposition  that 
begins  with  the  word  yoti  and  is  phrased 
entirely  in  terms  of  his  own  interest  and 
profit.  I  try  both  in  my  business  and  in 
my  personal  correspondence  to  get  away 
from  the  tendency  to  begin  with  "  I  ; " 
and  I  recommend  the  effort  to  the  readers 
of  this  article.  Try  starting  your  letters 
in  some  such  informal  fashion  as  this  : 

You  may  be  sure  that  a  suggestion  you  make 
in  your  last  letter  is  appreciated. 

Or— 


You  will  be  interested  to  know  that  the  very 
suggestion  which  you  make  about  so-and-so  is 
one  that  we  were  already  working  on. 

How  much  fresher  and  more  friendly 
such  a  letter  soimds  than  one  that 
starts,  "  I  have  received  your  sugges- 
tion," etc. 

Another  very  disarming  word  that  has 
brought  many  a  dollar  rolling  in  to  us 
consists  of  only  two  letters,  and  ought  to 
be  much  more  frequently  employed.  I 
refer  to  that  insidious  little  rascal  "  If." 
A  supposition,  introduced  by  if,  is  not  a 
statement  of  facts.  It  does  not  cry  out  an 
alarm  to  the  critical  faculty.  There  is  no 
more  effective  method  of  "  getting  into 
step  "  with  the  reader,  of  luring  his  mind 
aWay  from  the  subject  on  Which  it  may 
be  centered,  to  the  subject  on  which  you 
wish  it  to  be  centered,  than  to  begin  with 
an  if  or  suppose. 

Several  years  ago,  in  the  early  spring, 
mv  wife  received  from  a  fashion  magazine 
a  letter  which  opened  with  this  phrase  : 

If  you  were  in  Paris  today — 

Just  stop  a  moment  and  consider  the 
magic  in  those  words.  Can't  you  fancy 
them  reaching  a  woman  tired  of  the  long 
winters,  harassed  by  the  routine  of  the 


house  ?  Reaching  her  with  the  first  warm 
days  of  spring  and  of  robin  redbreasts  ? 
"If  you  were  in  Paris  today,"  the  letter 
said,  "  you  would  be  visiting  in  and  out 
of  the  great  millinery  and  dress  estab- 
lishments, examining  the  hats  and 
gowns  which  the  master  designers  have 
prepared." 

OF  EVERY  hundred  women  to  receive 
that  letter,  I  venture  to  guess  that 
ninety  at  least  would  be  "in  step  "  at 
that  point.  Spring  and  Paris!  And  the 
wonders  of  the  spring  hats  and  gowns! 

Then  the  letter  went  on  to  say:  "  But 
you  are  not  in  Paris.  And,  even  if  you 
were,  you  could  not  possibly  examine,  in 
any  one  visit,  all  the  thousands  of  hats 
and  gowns  which  our  editors  are  at  this 
very  moment  photographing  and  sketch- 
ing for  you."  "  All  that  wonderland  of 
pictures,"  said  the  letter,  "  is  in  the 
spring  fashion  number,  which  will  be 
mailed  to  you." 

I  do  not  remember  any  letter  which 
illustrates  better  the  principle  of  "  get- 
ting in  step."  And  the  corner  stone  of  its 
success  is  in  the  innocent-looking  little 
"  If."  Remember  that  little  word. 
Cherish  it.  There  is  money  in  it  for  the 
man  who  knows  how  to  employ  it  well. 

Of  course  there  is  no  special  value  in 
"  getting  in  step  "  with  your  reader  un- 
less what  you  have  to  say  is  interesting, 
and,  equally  important,  looks  interesting. 
People  willread  a  page  that  looks  easy  to 
read.  They  hate  long  books,  long  articles, 
and  long  paragraphs.  Samuel  Johnson 
confessed  that  he  had  a  deadly  horror  of 
reading  books  through.  Grover  Cleve- 
land, when  some  one  asked  him  to  name 
his  favorite  newspaper,  responded  :  the 
"  New  York  Evening  Post."  And  when 
pressed  for  a  reason,  he  explained,  in  his 
slow  fashion  :  "  Because  at  the  end  of  the 
editorial  page,  they — have — jokes!  " 

His  mind,  tired  at  the  end  of  the  day, 
rebelled  at  long  news  articles  and  solid 
editorials,  and  reached  out  eagerly  for 
the  few  short  paragraphs  which  could  be 
read  at  a  single  glance. 

Look  through  the  copy  of  this  maga- 
zine. What  was  the  thing  that  you  read 
first  ?  My  guess  is  that  you  turned  it 
through  from  cover  to  cover,  glancing  at 
the  titles  of  the  article?  and  deciding 
which  ones  would  interest  you.  Then, 
before  reading  any  of  them,  you  found 
some  short  item  of  a  hundred  or  a  few 
hundred  words  and  you  read  that  at  once. 

Good  letters  take  advantage  of  that 


525 


ARTICLES  FOR  STUDY  AND  DICTATION 


great  human  habit.  They  start  with  short 
paragraphs.  And  if,  later,  longer  para- 
graphs are  necessary,  these  are  inter- 
spersed with  enough  one-  and  two-line 
paragraphs  to  rest  the  eye  and  encourage 
the  reader  to  push  on. 

Dr.  Frank  Crane,  who  is  read  every  day 
by  millions,  fills  his  whole  column  with 
very  short  paragraphs,  and  never  uses  a 
long  word  if  a  shorter  one  can  be  found 
to  mean  the  same  thing. 

Your  sales  letter  addressed  to  a  thou- 
sand customers,  your  special  letter  ad- 
dressed to  one,  and  your  personal  letter 
to  a  friend,  will  be  more  interesting  and 
effective  if  they  embody  these  principles. 

I  like  to  dictate  my  personal  corre- 
spondence the  first  thing  in  the  morning, 
when  my  mind  is  rested  and  fresh.  A 
mistake  made  in  the  regular  routine  of 
business  by  a  tired  mind  may  be  costly. 
But  who  can  measure  the  influence  of  an 
ill-phrased  or  bad-tempered  letter  ?  Who 
knows  how  many  friends  it  may  cost  or 
how  much  business  it  may  destroy  ?  I 
want  my  faculties  to  be  fully  alert  when 
I  answer  my  mail.  And  I  have  made  this 
curious  discovery — that  I  dictate  better 
letters  when  I  am  standing  on  my  feet. 

I  cannot  explain  it  exactly,  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  I  think  better — that  the  soft, 
yielding  seat  of  my  business  chair  is  some- 
how akin  to  the  soft,  time-worn  phrases 
of  business  correspondence,  and  that  on 
my  feet  I  am  much  less  likely  to  be  con- 
ventional. Many  of  the  people  whose 
letters  are  brought  to  my  personal  atten- 
tion are  unknown  to  me  and  I  like  to 
visualize  them  as  well  as  I  can.  I  try  to 
form  a  picture  of  the  man  in  his  of&ce 
who,  with  a  copy  of  our  catalogue  at  his 
side,  has  taken  time  to  dictate  his  note  to 
me  ;  or  of  the  woman  at  home,  who  has 
bundled  the  children  off  to  school  and  has 
sat  down  to  take  her  pen  in  hand.  And, 
having  such  a  picture  of  my  unseen  friend, 
I  pick  up  his  letter  and,  standing  beside 
my  desk,  talk  right  out  to  him  and  tell 
him  what  I  think  about  it.  It  is  as  though 
I  could  look  straight  into  his  eyes  ;  and 
my  letters,  I  am  sure,  are  less  formal, 
more  direct  and  unconventional  than  if 
I  handled  them  sitting  down. 

MOST  of  us  never  learn  anything  with- 
out paying  some  price  for  the  know- 
ledge ;  and  I  paid  years  ago  a  very  stiff 
tuition  fee  in  exchange  for  the  information 
that  it  is  never  safe  to  attempt  humor 
in  a  business  letter.  I  dictated  a  note  to 
a  man  whom,  as  I  supposed,  I  knew  very 


well  indeed.  It  was  intended  to  be  face- 
tious; never  for  one  moment  did  it  occur  to 
me  that  he  could  possibly  misconstrue  it. 
Yet  when  I  met  him  a  few  days  later  he 
attempted  to  pass  without  speaking  to 
me.  It  took  a  good  deal  of  faithful  work 
on  my  part  to  convince  him  that  I  had 
not  intended  to  wound  his  feelings. 

It  does  not  pay  to  attempt  to  be  funny 
in  a  letter  ;  nor  satirical ;  nor  even  righte- 
ously indignant.  Of  all  the  temptations 
that  come  to  the  human  mind  there  is 
none  more  alluring  than  the  temptation 
to  write  a  white-hot  letter  in  reply  to  a 
man  who  has  written  a  white-hot  letter  to 
you.  One  carries  such  a  letter  in  his  poc- 
ket, using  his  idle  moments  to  think  up 
bitter  sentences  to  pulverize  the  recipient. 

It  is  a  temptation — but  I  discovered 
years  ago  that  there  is  no  advantage  in 
yielding  to  it.  If  you  write  an  angry 
response,  your  correspondent  has  the 
satisfaction  of  sending  another  mean  let- 
ter to  follow  the  first.  But  imagine  his 
distress  when  he  has  dispatched  the  first 
letter  and  begins  to  look  in  every  mail  for 
your  reply.  He  is  planning  the  cruel 
taunts  that  he  will  use  next  time.  And 
he  never  has  a  chance  to  use  them  if  no 
letter  comes  fi-om  you  to  give  him  that 
chance.  That  is  the  worst  punishment 
you  can  inflict  on  him  for  his  sin. 

A  wise  old  Englishman  nailed  this 
motto  above  his  desk  :  "  Never  explain, 
never  retract,  never  apologize.  Get  it 
done  and  let  them  howl." 

It  is  rather  too  vigorous  a  rule  for  the 
business  man,  yet  there  is  an  element  of 
sound  sense  in  it  which  all  of  us  would  do 
well  to  adopt.  Successful  politicians 
learn  it  early  in  their  career.  They  ignore 
criticism,  and  plug  away,  letting  the 
record  speak  for  them.  Apologies  are 
sometimes  necessary,  but  wise  men  avoid 
them  wherever  possible.  The  best  defense, 
the  best  explanation,  is  to  correct  the 
mistake  and  forge  ahead. 

I  constantly  impress  on  our  employees 
the  necessity  for  not  underestimating  the 
intelligence  of  the  people  who  write  to  us. 
The  quality  of  letter  paper  which  a  corre- 
spondent may  use  is  no  indication  of  the 
quality  of  his  brains.  When  a  house  in  our 
line  of  business  fails,  you  will  almost 
always  find  that  the  men  at  the  head  of  it 
had  no  real  respect  for  the  intelligence  of 
the  people  with  whom  they  were  doing 
business.  They  sought  to  exploit  their 
customers  rather  than  to  cultivate  them. 

"  Of  course  there's  a  lot  of  bunk  in  this 
letter,"    I   have   heard   men   say  :   "  it 


527 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


wouldn't  get  across  with  men  like  you 
and  me,  but  the  average  man  will  eat  it 
alive." 

If  there  is  one  thing  I  am  sure  of,  as  a 
result  of  twenty-two  years  of  dealing  with 
human  nature,  it  is  this  :  that  men  and 
women  have  a  wonderful  facility  for 
detecting  insincerity  in  the  written  word. 
When  I  want  to  know  how  a  letter  will  be 
received  by  my  customers  I  do  not  try 
to  conjure  up  a  picture  of  some  mythical 
"  average  home"  ;  I  try  to  imagine  its 
appearance  in  my  home  or  the  home 
where  my  boyhood  was  spent.  I  try  to 
think  of  my  father  as  he  used  to  open  his 
morning  mail  at  the  breakfast  table.  I 
say  to  myself,  "Would  this  letter  ring 
true  if  he  were  to  read  it  aloud  at  break- 
fast ?  Does  it  contain  the  kind  of  talk 
that  would  appeal  to  my  sisters  and 
brothers  ?  Is  the  proposition  one  that  I 
would  want  my  mother  to  spend  her  hard- 
saved  nickels  on  ?  "  I  try  to  write  to  a 
woman  as  though  I  were  writing  to  my 
own  mother  ;  and  to  a  man  as  though  he 
were  my  father  or  my  brother.  And  I  am 
convinced  that  any  business  man  who 
approaches  the  "  average  man  "  on  any 
lower  plane  is  building  his  business  on 
very  dangerous  ground. 

IF  I  WERE  to  sum  up  in  a  single  sen- 
tence all  that  I  have  learned  about 
writing  letters  to  people,  I  think  I  should 
do  it  this  way  :  No  man  can  write  really 
good  articles  or  good  letters  unless  he  has  a 


real  interest  in  the  folks  to  whom,  he  writes. 
How  a  man  who  lacks  that  interest  is 
going  to  develop  it,  I  do  not  know.  Some 
men  do  lack  it  utterly.  They  are  inter- 
ested in  books,  or  in  race  horses,  or  in 
clothespin  manufacture,  or  in  tariff 
reform  ;  but  about  folks  they  have  no 
curiosity  at  all. 

I  have  an  insatiable  curiosity  on  that 
vast  and  varied  subject.  I  like  to  walk 
home  through  the  crowds  at  night  and 
catch  bits  of  their  conversation.  I  can 
wander  for  hours  around  the  streets  look- 
ing at  people  and  wondering  what  goes  on 
inside  their  heads.  What  are  they  think- 
ing about  ?  What  do  they  fear  ?  What 
do  they  hope  ?  Do  they  love  their  wives 
and  their  husbands  ?  Would  they  die 
bravely,  if  the  call  came  to  "go  over  the 
top  ?  "  Would  they  do  a  murder  for  a 
million  dollars  if  they  were  sure  they 
would  never  be  found  out  ?  What  do 
they  think  about,  when  they're  alone,  in 
bed,  just  before  sleep  comes  to  them  ? 

These  are  the  most  interesting  ques- 
tions in  the  world  to  me.  I  never  tire  of 
asking  them — ^never  hear  them  answered 
too  often.  Having  a  mind  that  is  so 
impertinently  active  in  questions  of  that 
sort  I  find  it  ever  so  easy  to  be  interested 
in  the  folks  who  write  to  me.  And  I  like 
to  stand  up  and  talk  back  to  them,  as  in- 
formally and  colloquially  as  though  they 
were  standing  in  the  office  beside  me. 

That,  1  think,  is  the  deepest  secret  of 
good  letter  writing. 


Mr.  C.  B.  McCuaig,  a  free  lance  advertising  writer  of  Buffalo, 
New  York,  has  this  to  say  in  a  letter  to  the  author  :  "  If  I  were  to 
condense  all  I  have  learned  about  letter  writing  to  one  sentence  it 
would  be  something  like  this  :  Be  yourself,  write  as  you  would 
talk,  and  forget  all  of  Grandfather's  bad  letter- writing  habits." 
This  is  the  rock-bottom  principle  that  Mr.  McCuaig  establishes 
for  himself  and  for  you  in  the  following  article.  He  thoroly  believes 
that  the  credit  man  may  be  benefited  by  reading  certain  leaves 
from  the  advertising  man's  notebook  : 


528 


ARTICLES  FOR  STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


THE    *' HUMAN   INTEREST"   ANGLE   THE 
CREDIT  MAN  NEEDS  ^ 


By  C.  B.  McCuaig 


(CORNELIUS  B.  GIFFEN, 
^^  treasurer  of  the  Ferno  Machine 
Company,  was  engaged  in  the  cheer- 
less task  of  sorting  his  morning  mail. 
The  fact  that  the  job  was  cheerless 
was  beyond  Mr.  Giffen's  control  and 
very  little  to  his  liking,  for  he  was 
by  nature  a  cheery  little  man, 
with  modern  ideas  of  co-operation 
and  good  fellowship,  but  as  he 
picked  up  letter  after  letter,  glanced 
at  it  and  placed  it  carefully  in  its 
proper  pile,  he  realized  that  he 
was  fast  becoming  a  pessimist  and 
a  "  grouch." 

Things  were  going  well  for  the 
Ferno  Machine  Company,  but  very 
badly  for  Mr.  Giffen's  particular 
department.  It  was  the  middle  of 
the  last  year  of  the  war  and  the 
company  was  head  over  ears  in 
munition  work.  The  factory  was 
working  night  and  day  turning  out 
stuff  for  Uncle  Sam,  and  sad  to 
relate,  Uncle  Sam  was  proving  a 
mighty  slow  paymaster.  While  his 
balance  sheet  showed  the  biggest 
profits  the  company  had  ever  made, 
the  bank  account  was  at  low-water 
mark,  and  the  people  from  whom 
the  company  bought  material  were 
clamoring  for  their  money  in  no 
uncertain  tones.  It  was  this  that 
was  slowly  taking  the  joy  out  of 
Mr.  Giffen's  otherwise  happy  life. 

On  his  desk  was  one  big  pile 
into  which  most  of  the  letters  went. 
He  had  classified  it  as  "  duns." 
They  were  pretty  much  all  the 
same  :  "  We  wish  to  call  your 
attention  to  the  fact  that  our  state- 
ments have  been  overlooked  for 
the  past  three  months — ^kindly  remit 
at  once."  Several  carried  an  added 
sting.  "If  we  do  not  hear  from 
you  by  return  mail  we  shall  be 
forced  to  turn  this  account  over 
for   collection."     All  went   into   the 


big  pile  to  be  filed  unanswered. 
Mr,  Giffen  was  tired  of  making 
excuses. 

Suddenly  his  eye  paused.  He  read 
the  letter  through  : 

"  When  you  ordered  500  castings 
from  us  on  April  9th  you  undoubtedly 
understood  that  our  terms  were 
30  days  net. 

"  We  filled  your  order  on  that 
basis,  but  so  far  we  have  not  received 
payment. 

"  On  the  strength  of  your  implied 
promise  and  our  faith  in  the  un- 
questioned honor  of  your  house  we 
borrowed  money  from  the  bank  to 
finance  this  work,  expecting  to  pay 
it  with  your  remittance. 

"  You  will  realize  that  this  puts 
us  in  a  very  awkward  position. 
The  bank  expects  us  to  take  up 
our  note  promptly.  In  order  to 
do  so  we  must  receive  a  check 
from  you. 

"  Won't  you  please  attend  to  this 
matter  as  soon  as  possible,  and  if 
at  any  future  time  you  wish  a  con- 
cession from  our  usual  terms  please 
say  so  at  the  time  the  order  is 
placed  and  we  will  do  our  best  to 
arrange  matters  to  your  satisfaction 
and  at  the  same  time  protect  our 
own  credit." 

THE     PSYCHOLOGY     OF     IT 

Mr.  Giffen  held  the  letter  in  his 
hand  for  a  moment.  "  Here,  Tim," 
he  said  to  his  assistant,  "  send  this 
fellow  a  check  right  away." 

Now  Mr.  Giffen  did  not  know  it, 
but  that  letter  wasn't  a  "  dun  "  at 
all  ;  it  was  a  sales  letter.  That  is 
why  he  paid  the  bill.     It  sold  him. 

Instead  of  holding  to  the  shop- 
worn, meaningless  terms  which  mark 
so  much  of  the  credit  man's  corre- 
spondence the  writer  of  that  letter 


*  Reprinted  by  permission  from  "  Printers'  Ink"  for  June  17,  1920. 


529 


34— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


took  his  tip  from  the  advertising 
writer,  and  got  down  to  basic,  human 
principles. 

The  reason  the  trained  advertise- 
ing  writer  can  compose  a  letter 
which  will  sell  goods  where  the 
untrained  man  with  the  same  facts 
at  his  disposal  has  failed,  is  not 
so  much  because  of  his  skill  in  the 
use  of  English  as  his  understanding 
of  human  nature.  He  puts  what 
we  call  "  human  interest  "  into  his 
copy.  No  one  can  tell  you  what 
that  term  means,  and  none  but  the 
man  who  can  use  it  recognizes  it, 
though  others  respond  unconsciously. 
The  trained  writer  knows  that  there 
are  just  a  few  points  on  which  all 
people  are  possible  of  approach — 
avarice,  love,  pride,  service,  duty, 
beauty,  taste,  vanity,  and  so  on — 
these  are  just  a  few  of  them,  and 
we  all  respond  in  greater  or  less 
degree. 

The  letter  which  brought  home 
Mr,  Giffen's  check  made  its  appeal 
to  pride — ^the  pride  of  keeping  one's 
word  to  the  letter — ^and  just  the 
faintest  possible  sympathy  appeal. 
There  was  no  threat,  no  veiled 
charge  of  dishonesty.  The  letter 
simply  said  here  is  a  chance  to 
show  whether  you  are  as  good  as 
your  word  ;  what  are  you  going 
to  do  about  it  ? 

The  trouble  with  some  credit  men 
is  that  they  are  just  a  bit  behind 
the  times.  A  hundred  years  ago 
in  England  they  were  sending  debtors 
to  prison,  and  back  in  the  sub- 
conscious mind  some  credit  men  still 
think  that  is  the  right  idea.  So 
once  in  a  while  there  is  one  who 
uses  the  old  cut-and-dried  terms 
grandfather  loved  so  well,  and  the 
meaner  he  makes  his  letters  without 
actually  resorting  to  personal  insult, 
the  better  he  thinks  he  succeeds. 
How  much  better  it  would  be  if  he 
would  take  a  few  hints  from  the 
man  in  the  advertising  department, 
instead  of  simply  regarding  him  as 
a  question  mark,  and  study  the 
human  side  of  the  question. 


Suppose  the  problem  of  collecting 
slow  pay  accounts  were  turned  over 
to  the  advertising  manager,  how 
would  he  go  about  it  ? 

First  of  all,  he  would  "  study  his 
market."  He  would  try  to  get  at 
the  real  basic  reason  why  his  cus- 
tomers did  not  pay  up.  He  would 
work  from  the  fact  his  study  of 
human  nature  in  the  business  of 
selling  had  taught  him,  that  prac- 
tically all  people  are  honest.  In 
ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred 
if  they  don't  pay  it  is  because  they 
can't.  "  All  right,"  the  advertising 
man  would  say,  "if  they  can't  pay 
all  their  bills,  maybe  I  can  prevail 
upon  them  to  pay  mine,"  and  he 
would  go  about  the  job  of  "  selling  " 
them  on  the  advisability  of  paying 
that  particular  bill  just  as  he  would 
sell  them  a  washing  machine  or  a 
motor  car.  He  would  not  threaten 
them  or  call  them  names,  but  he 
would  use  his  ability  to  inject 
"  human  interest  "  into  the  letter 
with  a  view  to  making  the  man 
at  the  other  end  think  of  that 
particular  debt  as  different  from  the 
others. 

LETTER  LEFT  A  GLOW  OF  GOOD 
FEELING 

Many  times  nowadays  a  little 
unusual  "  stunt  "  will  make  a  col- 
lection letter  stand  out  from  the 
"  please  remit  by  return  mail " 
and  "  we  shall  be  forced  to  turn 
the  account  over  for  collection  " 
variety.  In  my  search  for  data 
upon  the  kind  of  collection  letters 
credit  men  write,  which  took  me 
into  the  financial  departments  of 
several  manufacturers,  I  came  upon 
a  letter  written  from  the  office  of 
the  Packard  Electric  Company,  War- 
ren, Ohio.  The  fact  that  this  letter 
was  mailed  in  June,  1917,  three 
years  before  this  is  written,  and 
the  treasurer  of  a  big  corporation 
still  remembered  it  and  was  able 
to  dig  it  out  of  the  files,  proves 
what  an  impression  the  "  selling  " 
collection  letter  is  capable  of  making. 


530 


ARTICLES  FOR  STUDY  AND  DICTATION 


At  the  right  of  the  name  and 
address  of  the  company  to  which 
the  letter  was  to  go  was  a  little 
piece  of  string  held  in  place  by  a 
red  seal.  The  body  of  the  letter 
was  as  follows  : 

"  When  I  was  a  kid  my  mother 
taught  me  to  remember  things  by 
tying  a  piece  of  string  around  my 
thumb.     This  worked  fine. 

"  I  am  enclosing  a  piece  of  the 
kind  she  used,  of  proper  length  for 
you,  and  I  am  going  to  ask  you 
as  a  favor  just  to  tie  it  around 
the  middle  of  the  thumb  on  your 
right  hand.  You  will  soon  see 
how  conveniently  and  reliably  it 
operates. 

"  Presently  your  bookkeeper  will 
come  in  about  some  other  matter. 
You  will  take  the  paper  which  he 
gives  you,  in  your  right  hand.  You 
will  at  once  see  the  string  !  Then 
you  will  say  :  '  Oh,  yes.  Smith,  I 
wish  you  would  make  out  a  check 
for  the  Packard  Electric  Company 
and  let  me  sign  it  right  away.  There 
is  a  balance  overdue.' 

"  You  will  be  glad  to  have  the 
matter  settled.  We  shall  much  appre- 
ciate getting  the  money  to  pass 
along  to  the  people  we  owe.  The 
string  you  can  keep  and  use  again 
for  all  sorts  of  things — ^possibly  to 
remind  you  to  send  your  next  order 
our  way." 

If  you  owed  a  lot  of  money  and 
were  swamped  with  letters  from 
people  who  intimated  that  you  were 
a  crook,  or  simply  not  paying  your 
bills  through  meanness,  wouldn't  a 
letter  like  that  warm  up  your 
heart  a  bit  ?  Wouldn't  it  give  you 
the  idea  that  there  were  warm- 
hearted, red-blooded  human  beings 
in  that  organization  who  were  not 
so  concentrated  on  money  grabbing 
that  they  had  no  time  to  exchange 
a  smile  once  in  a  while,  even  with 
a  poor  unfortunate  who  owed  them 
money  ?  And  yet  that  letter  says 
just  as  plainly  as  any  letter  could 
that  the  company  wants  what  is 
coming  to  it.     Put   yourself  in  the 


other  fellow's  place — ^if  you  were 
a  treasurer  with  a  meagre  bank 
balance  and  a  big  file  full  of  unpaid 
bills,  which  would  you  pay  furst  : 
a  concern  that  wrote  to  you  in 
that  tone,  or  one  that  kept  threat- 
ening you  with  sight  drafts  and 
collectors  ?  We're  all  human,  even 
the  quiet,  still-faced  boys  who  watch 
over  the  bank  account. 

A  treasurer  told  me  that  an 
intimation  in  a  collection  letter  that 
the  writer  needs  the  money  to 
meet  his  own  obligations  nearly 
always  gets  a  check  out  of  him,  no 
matter  how  low  his  bank  balance 
may  be. 

"It's  just  this  way,"  he  said. 
"  The  man  who  handles  the  money 
for  a  concern  which  usually  pays 
its  bills  promptly  feels  pretty  mean 
when  the  money  runs  low,  and  he 
has  to  stand  people  off.  It  isn't 
a  fine  feeling,  and  you  spend  many 
hours  figuring  how  you  can  make 
ends  meet.  When  you  are  scrimped 
seriously,  and  you  write  slow-pay 
customers  explaining  the  situation, 
and  they  don't  send  a  check,  you 
feel  disgruntled.  It  isn't  just  a 
matter  of  routine  collections  at  a 
time  like  that.  You  feel  that  you 
are  up  against  it,  and  it  is  up  to 
them  to  help  you  out.  It  gets 
down  to  a  sort  of  personal  basis. 
Of  course  that  is  the  state  of  mind 
you  are  in  when  you  get  dunning 
letters  yourself.  The  ordinary  sort 
of  collection  letter  doesn't  make 
much  of  an  impression  on  you,  but 
when  you  get  a  letter  that  has 
a  personal  ring  to  it,  and  explains 
that  the  writer  needs  the  money 
to  meet  his  own  obligations,  you 
say  to  yourself  :  '  Here's  a  poor 
chap  who  is  in  the  same  fix  I  am. 
I'm  going  to  slip  him  a  check  if 
I  have  to  break  a  leg  !  '  " 


THE   ADVERTISING   MAN  S 
HANDIWORK  ? 

That  is  probably  the  reason  that 
many  of  the  good  collection  letters 


531 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


I  have  seen  are  based  on  that  par- 
ticular appeal — ^put  over  with  a 
"human  interest"  slant.  Here  is 
a  typical  one  from  a  Detroit  concern  : 

"  I  would  like  to  have  your  check 
to  cover  my  shipments  for  March. 

"  I  will  pass  along  its  contents. 
The  bills  I  owe,  and  there  are  some, 
and  then  some,  will  help  a  multi- 
tude through  the  passing  along 
process. 

"If  we  had  an  unbroken  chain 
of  help  of  that  kind  right  now  it 
would  do  much  toward  reaching  the 
foothills — not  yet  the  mountain 
ranges — of  prosperity. 

"  If  each  would  do  his  part  we 
would  have  just  that  helpful  chain. 

"  Come  on.  You  are  one  link,  and 
a  good  one,  too. 

"  I  wish  you  might  send  in  a 
few  orders,  too.  We  shall  take  good 
care  of  them." 

While  on  the  subject  of  letters, 
let  us  admit  that  the  men  in  the 
advertising  department  haven't  so 
very  much  to  brag  about.  One 
does  not  have  to  be  an  old-timer 
in  advertising  to  remember  when 
we  were  answering  sales  inquiries 
with  form  letters.  It  isn't  done  now 
in  the  best  circles. 

AS    MAN    TO    MAN 

The  reason  is  that  we  have  found 
the  value  of  the  "  personal  touch." 
That  is  a  term  advertising  men  use 
when  they  are  not  talking  about 
"  human  appeal  "  or  "  accumulative 
force."     It    means   the    same    thing 


as  when  you  drop  your  generalities 
and  stand-of&sh  company  manners, 
hand  your  man  a  cigar  and  say, 
"  Now,  old  top,  what's  on  your 
mind  ?  "  It's  the  direct,  personal 
attitude,  and  it  can  only  be  attained 
when  you  are  talking  to  one  man 
in  the  whole  wide  world,  and  nobody 
else — ^when  you  understand  his  own 
particular  difficulties,  his  personal 
viewpoint,  and  give  him  informa- 
tion to  meet  his  own  particular 
needs.  A  form  letter  may  suggest 
the  "  personal  touch,"  but  it  never 
really  has  it. 

It  is  just  the  same  with  collec- 
tion letters.  Form  letters  will  not 
always  get  under  the  skin,  though 
my  recent  delving  into  the  prevail- 
ing style  of  collection  letters  leads 
me  to  believe  that  a  few  good 
"  human  interest  "  form  letters  would 
bring  more  results  than  some  that 
are  still  being  used.  To  get  the 
100  per  cent  collection  letter  it  will 
have  to  be  personally  written,  and 
based  on  the  particular  transaction, 
and  it  will  be  better  still  if  you 
know  something  of  your  man's 
make-up. 

These  are  but  thoughts  on  col- 
lection letters,  offered  in  a  spirit  of 
helpfulness,  not  in  criticism.  Do  not 
pass  up  the  suggestions  which  have 
been  made  just  because  they  come 
from  the  advertising  end.  Instead, 
get  together  with  the  credit  man 
on  this  little  point  of  supplying 
the  "  human  interest  "  angle  col- 
lection letters  need,  and  see  if  you 
don't  find  out  you're  both  \vTong. 


Mr,  A.  H.  Deute,  author  of  the  following  article,  has  charge  of 
distribution  and  advertising  for  the  Borden  Company.  He  has 
had  wide  advertising  and  sales  experience  in  many  parts  of  the 
country  ;  he  has  been  a  road  man,  and  he  speaks  therefore  with  the 
conviction  of  experience  when  he  says,  that  the  manager  of  credits 
and  collections  should  know  the  road.  Here,  in  a  nutshell,  is  what 
Mr,  Deute  has  to  say  on  the  subject  of  business  letter  writing : 


532 


ARTICLES  FOR  STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


"  I  believe  that  a  man  must  know  what  he  is  talking  about  if  he 
expects  to  talk  convincingly.  And  he  must  know  his  subject  still 
better  if  he  expects  to  write  convincingly.  Also,  the  subject  of 
good,  plain,  understandable  English  ought  to  receive  a  lot  more 
attention  than  it  does.  The  old-fashioned  speller  ought  to  be  made 
more  important  than  it  is  these  days,  and  English  grammar  ought 
to  be  considered  the  major  subject  of  every  student  from  elementary 
school  up  through  college.  As  to  rules  for  letter  writing,  personally 
I  have  always  contented  myself  with  trying  to  make  up  my  mind 
as  to  what  I  want  to  say,  and  then  striving  to  get  it  said  as  clearly 
as  possible." 

CREDITS  AND  THE  SELLING  INSTINCT  ^ 

By  a.  H.  Deute 


npHE  unsavory  reputation  of  the 
■■-  credit  man  is  proverbial  and 
well  established.  There  are  literally 
hundreds,  yes  thousands  of  sales- 
men who  will  assure  you  that  no 
matter  how  black  may  be  the 
reputation  of  sales  managers  as  a 
class,  it  is  fully  deserved  and  at 
worst  lily  white  in  comparison  to 
the  blackness  of  the  manager  of 
credit  and  collections.  And  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  reason  for  this. 
Primarily,  the  credit  man's  job  is 
not  a  pleasant  one.  He  may  be 
classed  in  with  the  grave  digger  and 
the  hangman — essential  workmen, 
but  not  of  a  type  that  tends  to  make 
them  popular  with  the  masses 

While  the  salesman  himself,  if  he 
will  stop  to  think,  will  appreciate 
the  value  of  the  credit  man,  still 
it  is  a  fact  that  about  the  only 
time  the  average  salesman  thinks 
of  the  average  credit  man  at  all  is 
when  the  credit  man  has  turned 
down  an  order  or  written  a  "  mean  " 
letter  to  a  customer.  And  then  no 
paint  is  too  black  with  which  to 
besmirch  the  man  who  committed 
the  crime. 

All  these  things  are  well  known 


and  recognized — maybe  more  thor- 
oughly by  the  salesman  than  by 
the  credit  man. 

Many  credit  men  beam  and  glow 
with  a  sense  of  pride  over  this 
reputation,  and  I  know  of  at  least 
one  credit  man  who  feels  that  he 
is  falling  short  in  his  work  unless 
he  gets  about  so  much  complaint 
from  the  sales  force.  He  feels  that 
his  job  calls  for  the  killing  off  of 
accounts  and  he  wants  to  do  it  as 
it  should  be  done. 

Another  credit  man,  upon  whose 
innocent  head  have  been  heaped 
untold  quantities  of  blasphemy  from 
untold  numbers  of  salesmen  and 
customers,  actually  relishes  and 
admits  that  he  relishes  turning  down 
an  occasional  order. 

Taken  all  in  all,  your  average 
salesman  and  even  the  great  major- 
ity above  the  average  will  tell  you 
that  a  credit  man  is  a  tough,  hard- 
ened old  chap  who  is  a  sort  of 
necessary  evil,  acting  as  a  perpetual 
thorn  in  the  flesh  of  the  salesman 
and  the  dealer.  And  judging  the 
credit  man,  in  the  mass,  by  his 
own  attitude,  I  believe  that  the 
salesman  is  right. 


*  Reprinted  by  permission  from  "  Printers'  Ink"  for  January  1,  1920. 


533 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


A  HANDICAP  TO  BE  OVERCOME 

It  is  a  fact  which  all  salesmen 
will  verify  that  most  credit  men 
look  upon  themselves  as  policemen 
of  accounts,  and  a  good  deal  of  the 
Cossack  type  of  policeman  at  that. 
They  do  not  tactfully  undertake  to 
make  themselves  popular  and  try 
to  sell  themselves  to  the  trade  or 
to  the  sales  force,  but  on  the  other 
hand  convey  to  the  sales  force  a 
"  mightier  than  thou  "  attitude. 
Maybe  the  Association  of  Credit  Men 
will  say  that  this  is  not  so,  but 
on  the  other  hand,  most  people 
fail  to  see  themselves  as  others  see 
them.  It  isn't  what  you  believe 
or  what  you  believe  other  people 
believe  about  you  that  counts.  It 
is  what  the  other  fellow  really 
thinks  that  counts.  And  the  average 
salesman  looks  upon  the  average 
credit  man  in  an  unfriendly  attitude. 

Now,  there  is  no  news  in  that 
statement.  In  fact,  the  average  head 
of  a  business  expects  his  credit  man 
to  be  more  or  less  unpopular,  and 
so  credit  men,  as  a  class,  have  come 
to  take  their  unpopularity  with  the 
sales  force  for  granted,  and  think 
nothing  about  it. 

Out  of  this  army  of  credit  men 
who  are  misunderstood  and  mis- 
judged by  the  great  army  of  sales- 
men, to  the  detriment  of  the  best 
interests  of  their  respective  houses, 
there  is  at  least  one  who  is  coming 
out  with  a  new  policy.  This  man 
is  Mr.  Coleman,  of  R.  M.  Wade  & 
Company,  of  Portland,  Oregon.  Wade 
&  Company  are  large  wholesalers 
of  farm  machinery  in  the  West. 
The  credit  manager  of  an  institution 
of  that  scope  has  a  job  of  no  mean 
proportions.  He  deals  with  all 
types  and  conditions  of  men,  and 
his  job  has  unlimited  possibilities 
for  the  study  of  human  nature,  both 
as  concerns  the  traveling  salesman 
and  the  retail  merchant. 

"  I  believe,"  says  Mr.  Coleman, 
"  that  the  credit  man  has  just  as 
much   of   a  tangible  proposition  to 


sell  as  the  traveling  salesman.  And 
I  believe  that  it  is  just  as  necessary 
for  the  credit  man  to  develop  the 
selling  points  of  his  line,  as  it  is 
for  the  salesman  to  work  up  a  sales 
talk  for  his  goods. 

"  The  salesman  must  show  people 
the  value  of  his  merchandise  and 
sell  them  the  service  of  the  house — 
of  the  production  and  sales  depart- 
ments. In  turn,  the  credit  man 
must  sell  the  trade  and  the  sales  force 
the  thing  which  the  credit  depart- 
ment has  to  ofEes — ^that  is,  stabilized 
prosperity  and  good  business  for  the 
house. 

MUST  STRIVE  FOR  FRIENDSHIPS 

"  I  think  that  the  main  reason 
why  so  many  dealers  and  salesmen 
regard  the  credit  department  un- 
pleasantly is  because  credit  men,  as 
a  class,  are  mighty  poor  salesmen, 
and  have  taken  neither  the  time 
nor  the  trouble  properly  to  sell  them- 
selves. This  is  a  mistake,  no  doubt. 
It  is  well  enough  for  a  credit  man 
to  say  that  it  doesn't  make  any 
difference  to  him  whether  he  and 
his  department  are  popular  or  not — 
that  his  job  is  to  get  the  money, 
and  sometimes  it  is  easier  to  get 
it  if  no  element  of  personal  friend- 
ship enters  the  transaction.  One 
credit  man  told  me  he  didn't  want 
to  know  the  trade  ;  that  he  could 
'  jump  '  on  a  stranger  harder  than 
a  friend. 

"  That  is  a  most  destructive 
attitude  and  one  that  is  bound 
to  lose  money  for  the  house  in  the 
end  because  it  loses  friends.  The 
credit  man  who  operates  on  the 
brute-force  plan  may  get  the  money, 
but  he  doesn't  get  both  the  money 
and  the  good  will  of  the  trade. 
And  what  permanent  good  comes 
from  getting  the  money  at  the 
expense  of  a  friend  ?  It  is  a  ques- 
tion whether  any  house  can  really 
afford  to  bring  the  ill  will  of  any- 
body on  itself  at  any  price.  We 
have   all   seen   credit   men,   for   the 


534 


ARTICLES   FOR   STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


sake  of  a  ten  or  fifteen  dollar  account, 
bring  down  on  the  house  the  seem- 
ingly perpetual  ill  will  of  a  merchant. 
Now,  isn't  the  ill  will  of  even  the 
smallest  merchant  a  tremendously 
high  price  to  pay  for  a  fifteen-dollar 
collection  ? 

"  On  the  other  hand,  there  is 
the  matter  of  principle  involved,  and 
the  theory  of  the  credit  man  that 
money  due  the  house  must  be 
collected  in  fairness  to  those  who  pay 
promptly,  is  a  proper  and  correct 
theory. 

"  The  fault  is  not  with  the  theory 
but  with  the  method  by  which 
that  theory  is  put  into  practice,  and 
with  the  undiplomatic  and  often- 
times cold,  disinterested,  impersonal 
manner  in  which  the  collection  is 
manipulated. 

It  is  most  distressing  oftentimes 
to  witness  the  sincere  effort  of  the 
production  and  sales  departments 
to  render  a  high  grade  of  service 
to  the  buyer,  only  to  find  a  credit 
department  that  has  only  one 
thing  in  mind — ^getting  the  money, 
regardless  of  the  feelings  of  the  man 
who  is  slow  to  pay. 

That  this  condition  does  exist  in 
many  instances  is  due  not  to  any 
special  unpleasant  characteristics  of 
the  credit  man,  because  get  him 
away  from  his  desk  and  he  is  usually 
a  fine  chap,  but  years  of  dealing 
with  men  who  don't  pay  are  apt 
to  have  made  him  callous  and 
indifferent  and  often  somewhat  im- 
patient. The  best  thing  the  average 
credit  man  can  do  is  spend  a 
little  time  now  and  then  on  the 
road.  It  will  not  change  his  pur- 
pose, that  of  getting  in  the  money, 
but  it  will  often  change  his  method 
and  viewpoint  and  approach.  It  is 
true  that  the  credit  man's  business 
is  to  get  the  money. 

But  it  is  equally  true  that  it  is 
the  salesman's  business  to  get  the 
order.  And  no  sales  force  would 
get  very  far  with  curt  methods. 
The  only  difference  between  the  two 
is  that  the  credit  department  holds 


a  moral  club  over  the  merchant, 
but  at  the  same  time  the  harm  done 
by  curt  credit  department  methods 
may  be  just  as  great  as  that  done 
by  improper  methods  in  the  selling 
department . 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  a  little  sales- 
manship probably  goes  further  in 
the  credit  department  than  any  other 
place,  if  for  no  other  reason  than 
that  so  little  is  usually  used  there. 
But  the  credit  man  has  a  lot  to 
sell.  The  service  which  the  credit 
man  can  render  is  of  tremendous 
value,  not  only  to  his  own  business 
but  to  the  merchant.  Yet  the 
average  salesman  and  the  average 
merchant  do  not  realize  this.  The 
fault,  I  believe,  lies  with  the  credit 
men  who  do  not  sell  their  line. 

All  credit  men  know  that  only 
a  very,  very  small  percentage  of 
people  who  do  not  pay  or  are  slow 
to  pay  are  really  trying  to  evade 
payment.  But  most  of  them  must 
be  sold  one  of  two  ideas — ^the  idea 
of  the  importance  and  value  of 
prompt  paying  ;  or  the  idea  of  the 
importance  of  keeping  up  their  own 
collections. 

A  CREDIT  MAN  WITHOUT  KNOWLEDGE 
OF  THE  FIELD 

Recently,  a  salesman  new  on  the 
territory  stumbled  into  a  store. 
The  dealer  almost  showed  him 
out,  because  of  an  unfortunate  series 
of  letters  he  had  been  receiving 
from  the  credit  man  of  the  house 
which  the  salesman  represented. 
In  the  conversation  that  followed, 
when  the  salesman  had  thawed  the 
dealer  out,  it  was  revealed  that 
the  dealer  had  had  the  money  all 
the  time  but  had  been  on  a  week's 
fishing  trip.  When  he  came  back, 
there  was  a  note  from  the  credit 
man  of  that  house.  Now,  this 
dealer  is  not  a  big,  broad  business 
man,  but  he  does  represent  a  goodly 
number  of  customers.  When  he 
read  the  note,  he  grinned  and  said 
to  himself  :  "I  wonder  what  that 
chap  will  say  in  his  next."     And 


535 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


so  he  did  not  reply.  A  week  later 
there  came  a  sharper  note  and 
the  dealer  grinned  and  showed  it 
to  some  of  the  boys  who  knew  he 
was  financially  good  for  the  bill 
and  many  more  like  it.  This  was 
up  in  the  cattle  country  of  Oregon 
where  it  is  considered  good  business 
to  carry  an  automatic  and  several 
thousand  dollars  in  the  same  pocket. 
And  this  particular  dealer  took  a 
huge  delight  in  laying  his  "  wad  " 
on  the  counter  before  the  boys 
and  then  asking  them  to  read  the 
sharp  letter  from  a  credit  man, 
and  remarking  good-naturedly  :  "The 
money  is  here  all  right.  We'll  let 
the  little  rooster  come  up  here  and 
get  it."  And  he  made  a  notation 
on  the  letter,  "  Your  money  is 
here,  but  you've  got  to  come  and 
get  it." 

This  irritated  the  credit  man  and 
he  wrote  a  sharper  note  which 
provoked  more  mirth  in  the  country 
store.  But  the  next  time  the  tune 
changed.  There  was  a  straight 
tlireat  to  sue.  The  merchant  lost 
his  sense  of  humor.  He  did  not 
appreciate  that,  in  the  vernacular 
of  the  country,  "  the  drinks  were 
on  him."  He  sat  down  and  wrote 
a  check  and  sent  it  in.  He  was 
peevish  and  he  remained  peevish. 
When  the  salesman  came  around, 
the  dealer  had  stocked  up  on  another 
line.  The  thing  had  started  as  a 
joke.  It  ended  in  a  little  business 
tragedy.  There  was  no  need  for  it. 
The  credit  man  will  argue  that  the 
merchant  was  wrong,  and  so  he 
was.  But  that  didn't  keep  the  house 
from  losing  a  customer. 

The  root  of  this  difi&culty  lies  far 
below  the  surface  fact  and  event. 
It  is  due  largely  to  the  fact  that 
credit  men  do  not  sell  themselves 
or  their  proposition  to  salesmen  and 
dealers. 

A  salesman  may  work  for  hours 
to  get  an  order.  Then  the  credit 
man  may  have  to  turn  it  down. 
A  plain  cancellation  stamp  antag- 
onizes the  salesman  and  makes  him 


fume  over  the  fact  that  he  spent 
hours  to  get  an  order  which  is  coldly 
turned  down.  And  he  "  knows " 
the  dealer  is  perfectly  good.  On 
the  other  hand,  there  is  a  letter 
to  the  salesman  like  this  : 

"  Dear  Jones  : 

"  I  am  awfully  sorry  that  we 
can't  ship  Smith  that  nice  order 
you  sold  him.  But  Smith  is  now 
$400.  behind  on  our  books.  On  top 
of  that,  he  gave  a  chattel  mortgage 
on  his  fixtures  for  $1000.  and  he 
owes  several  other  houses  varying 
amounts.  Also,  he  appears,  from 
his  own  statements,  not  to  be 
making  any  money;  in  fact,  this 
chattel  mortgage  and  his  inability 
to  meet  his  past  due  accounts  look 
as  if  he  were  losing  money.  We 
didn't  know  about  this  chattel 
mortgage  until  just  this  morning. 
No  doubt  if  you  had  known  of  it, 
you  would  have  considered  it  best 
not  to  sell  him,  at  least  not  without 
collecting. 

"  This  reminds  me  that  you  will 
be  calling  on  Brown  &  Co.  in  a 
few  days.  They  are  in  much  the 
same  position.  They  owe  us  $500. 
and  you  will  agree  with  me  that 
it  would  not  be  a  good  plan  to 
give  them  further  credit." 

"  Cordially  yours," 

When  the  credit  man  tells  the 
salesman  the  reason  why  an  order 
was  turned  down,  the  salesman  soon 
learns  to  believe  that  the  credit  man 
is  a  human  being. 

"  I  know  that  orders  have  to  be 
turned  down,"  a  salesman  said  to 
me  recently.  "  But  I  do  resent  an 
arbitrary  attitude  on  the  part  of 
the  credit  man,  and  especially  his 
autocratic  act  of  smashing  down  the 
red  cancellation  stamp  on  an  order 
and  handing  it  over  with  a  grin." 

Credit  men  know  the  theory  of 
collecting  without  antagonizing. 
Many  of  them  write  wonderful 
letters.  Many  of  them  are  splendid 
business  men.     But    most    of   them 


536 


ARTICLES   FOR   STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


so  sadly  lack  real  selling  ability. 
A  salesman  recently  put  it  cor- 
rectly :  "  If  he  had  any  sense, 
he  would  be  a  salesman.  Nobody 
who  knows  what  a  good  time  really 
is  would  want  to  be  a  credit  man." 
But  this  salesman  was  young,  and 
so  regarded  the  credit  man  sadly 
but  charitably.  It  is  true  enough 
that  the  average  credit  man  can  well 


afford  to  learn  more  about  sales- 
manship, just  as  the  average  sales- 
man can  learn  to  advantage  more 
about  the  credit  end  of  the  business. 
But  the  burden  of  proof  lies  with 
the  credit  man.  It  is  up  to  him 
to  sell  himself  and  his  proposition. 
It  is  the  one  angle  of  business  in 
which  there  is  the  most  room  today 
for  applied  salesmanship. 


Mr.  E.  P.  Corbett,  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  has  for  years  been  a  sales 
letter  expert.  He  explains  in  the  excellent  article  below  that 
letters  with  the  emotional  twist  are  not  necessarily  sob  stuff.  Mr. 
Corbett  sums  up  his  business  letter  theory  as  follows  :  "A  letter  is 
a  more  or  less  complete  revelation  of  its  writer.  The  personality 
of  the  writer  is  revealed  by  what  is  between  the  lines  rather  than 
what  is  in  the  words.  If  there  be  good  faith,  honesty,  and  desire 
to  serve  in  the  mind  of  the  writer,  the  reader  will  feel  those 
sentiments,  and  they  will  influence  his  decision  in  regard  to  the 
contents  of  the  letter/' 

THE  SALES  LETTER  WITH  THE  PERSUASIVE 
APPEAL 1 

By  E.  p.  Corbett 


AS  I  have  stated  in  previous 
-^^  articles,  it  is  my  belief  that 
the  emotional  appeal  is  stronger  than 
the  appeal  to  reason  in  the  sales 
letter.  But  the  best  sales  letter 
appeals  to  both  the  emotions  and 
the  reason.  Perhaps  I  can  best 
illustrate  my  meaning  by  considering 
in  detail  the  various  factors  that 
go  to  make  up  a  sales  letter. 

We  are  told  in  the  first  reader 
(and  also  with  various  degrees  of 
profundity  by  experts)  that  there 
are  four  parts  to  the  letter,  viz.  : 
opening  paragraph  to  attract  atten- 
tion, next  paragraph  to  arouse 
interest,  next  paragraph  or  two  to 
cause  desire,  and  the  final  to  induce 
action.  Now  which  of  these  should 
be   so   shaped   as  to  appeal  to  the 


emotions,  and  which  to  appeal  to 
reason  ? 

Here  are  a  few  opening  para- 
graphs : 

"  Three  foes  are  costing  you  money 
every  day.  The  centre  of  your 
business  system  is  its  weakest  point." 
There  is  certainly  no  appeal  to 
reason  there.  It  is  a  bald  assertion. 
Yet  what  man  opening  a  letter 
addressed  to  him,  and  reading  that 
opening  sentence,  wouldn't  take 
notice  ?  Who  steals  my  purse  may 
be  stealing  trash,  but  just  the  same 
in  these  days  of  the  H.  C.  of  L. 
most  of  us  keep  our  eyes  on  the 
trash  barrel. 

"  Here  is  a  question  for  you  to 
ask  yourself,  '  Are  my  ability,  energy 
and    industry    bringing    me    all    the 


*  Reprinted  by  permission  from  "  Printers'  Ink"  for  February  12,  1920. 


537 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


money  they  should  ?  '  "  When  that 
question  is  held  up  to  you  to  answer, 
you're  bound  to  answer  it  in  your 
mind,  even  though  you  may  not 
be  conscious  of  so  doing.  This 
paragraph  appeals  to  both  reason 
and  emotion.  It  appeals  to  the 
reason  because  it  is  a  question  that 
every  ambitious  man  is  asking  him- 
self often.  It  appeals  to  the  emo- 
tions because  immediately  Mr.  Aver- 
age Man  answers  it  in  the  negative. 
In  either  case  he  is  bound  to  be 
interested. 

Here  is  an  appeal  to  the  emotions  : 
"  When  closing  time  comes  and  your 
clerks  go  home,  how  often  do  you 
wish  that  you,  too,  could  drop  your 
cares  and  go  home  ?  "  Doesn't  that 
conjure  up  a  picture  before  the 
tired  business  man  or  storekeeper  ? 
Doesn't  it  make  him  think  of  all  he 
does  to  earn  the  profits  of  which 
the  Bolshevist  or  the  rabid  type 
of  Socialist  would  deprive  him  ? 
His  mind  runs  back  along  the  end- 
less procession  of  days  during  which 
his  clerks  have  taken  their  hats 
and  blithely  departed  when  the 
clock  struck,  leaving  him  to  worry 
and  plan  and  think  for  tomorrow. 

OTHER  EXAMPLES  OF  EMOTIONAL 
APPEALS 

Here  is  an  opener  from  a  depart- 
ment store  :  "  Knowing  that  you, 
as  one  of  Brownville's  leaders  in 
correct  dress,  are  always  interested 
in  new  and  exclusive  styles  and 
designs,  we  want  to  give  you  a 
cordial  invitation  to  look  over  our 
Women's  Ready-to-Wear  depart- 
ment." What  woman  isn't  willing 
to  be  considered  a  leader  in  correct 
dress,  etc.  ?  After  such  a  subtle  (?) 
compliment,  won't  she  read  on  ? 

Of  the  same  nature  is  this  from 
a  men's  clothing  store.  "  You  are 
one  of  a  selected  few  to  whom  we 
are  giving  a  cordial  invitation  to 
open  a  charge  account  at  the 
Splendora."  It's  nice  to  be  of  the 
"  selected  few."     Immediately     our 


heart  expands  and  we  admit  to 
ourselves  that  the  Splendora  cloth- 
ing store  has  excellent  judgment  of 
men. 

Here  is  the  opening  of  a  letter 
for  accident  insurance  :  "  Think  how 
many  times  you  dodge  death  or 
disaster  each  day."  Isn't  there 
something  about  that  that  throws 
a  chap's  thoughts  back  to  the  many 
times  he  has  shaved  death  by 
making  a  frantic  leap  when  the 
merry  honk-honk  sounded  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  hip  pocket  ?  But  let's 
take  this  letter  in  its  entirety  : 

"  Dear  Sir  : 

"  Think  how  many  times  you 
dodge  death  or  disaster  each  day. 
You  cross  a  crowded  street.  Auto- 
mobiles, trolley  cars  and  motor 
cycles  are  flying  in  different  direc- 
tions. You  step  back  hastily  to 
avoid  this  danger,  then  run  a  few 
steps  and  just  escape  that  one.  Yet 
you  think  nothing  of  it  because  it 
is  an  everyday  occurrence. 

"  But  think  what  an  instant  of 
preoccupation  would  mean  to  you. 
Your  mind  is  perhaps  absorbed 
with  some  pressing  business — ^you 
do  not  hear  the  warning  bell  or 
horn — ^and  there  is  another  sad  acci- 
dent, another  bread-winner  killed  or 
cut  down  perhaps  for  months. 

"  This  is  not  an  exaggeration 
You  know  that.  It  is  a  thing 
that  might  happen  to  you  or  to 
me  any  day.  There  are  3600  acci- 
dents every  hour.  I  am  protected — 
are  you  ? 

"  If  I  were  struck  down  my  family 
would  receive  $100.  per  week  from 
the  Wayfarers  until  I  was  again 
able  to  work.  How  about  you  ? 
Would  your  family  have  to  pay 
your  expenses  and  also  live  on 
your  savings  ? 

"  I  hope  you  will  long  continue 
to  avoid  accident  or  sickness,  but 
is  it  fair  to  yourself  or  to  your 
family  to  leave  the  matter  of  their 
provision  to  chance  ?  It  would  be 
a    mighty    big    satisfaction    to    you 


538 


ARTICLES  FOR  STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


to  know  that  if  you  were  laid  up 
you  would  still  have  an  income  of 
$100.  per  week  without  touching 
your  savings.     Wouldn't  it  ? 

"  This  protection  costs  so  little 
that  it  is  not  to  be  considered 
alongside  of  what  it  offers  you. 
Let  me  tell  you  all  about  it.  Just 
drop  the  enclosed  postcard  in  the 
maU.  This  thing  is  too  important 
to  be  put  off.     Do  it  right  now." 

There's  a  letter  combining  the 
appeal  to  both  reason  and  emotions. 
A  man  of  intelligence  knows  that 
every  time  he  crosses  a  busy  street 
he  risks  his  life,  but  generally  he 
doesn't  know  he  knows  it  until  he 
is  told.  Then  it  strikes  home  be- 
cause it  is  reasonable.  Then  we 
paint  the  picture  of  his  being  laid 
up  for  months  and  of  what  it  would 
mean  to  his  family.  As  a  man 
reads  that  he  fills  in  the  details 
so  that  they  fit  his  particular  case. 

So,  after  attracting  his  attention 
by  the  opener,  and  arousing  his 
interest  by  the  next  two  paragraphs, 
the  letter  excites  his  desire  by  pic- 
turing in  his  mind  how  comfortable 
he  would  feel  if  he  knew  his  family 
was  provided  for,  regardless  of 
what  happened  to  him.  Then  it 
tells  him  how  inexpensive  such  pro- 
tection is,  and  that  he  can  find  out 
all  about  it  without  being  under 
obligation  to  buy,  and  without  going 
to  any  more  trouble  than  to  drop 
a  postcard  in  his  mail  basket.  Isn't 
there  a  pretty  fair  chance  that  he'll 
drop  the  card  ?  I'll  wager  that 
there  are  some  who  will  read  this 
letter  who  will  have  a  strong  feeling 
that  they  should  take  out  an  acci- 
dent policy.  (There's  no  charge  for 
this  advertising,  is  there,  Mr.  Editor?) 

THIS  DRAMATIC  APPEAL  PRESUMABLY 
A    STRONG    PULLER 

Take  these  extracts  from  another 
letter  : 

"  Do  you  realize  that  the  next 
home  entered  by  burglars  or  petty 
thieves  may  be  yours  ?  Have  you 
thought  that  every  time  you  leave 


your  house  you  risk  the  loss  of 
your  valuables  ?  The  ordinary  safe 
or  strong-box  is  no  protection  against 
a  burglar.  The  common  sneak  thief 
could  rifle  your  home  of  hundreds 
of  dollars  worth  of  your  most  valued 
jewelry,  silverware,  and  trinkets  in 
an  hour. 

"  Why  should  you  face  this  daily 
and  nightly  risk  ?  The  Wayfarers 
issue  a  policy  that  protects  you 
and  every  member  of  your  family 
against  loss.  The  cost  is  so  slight 
that  it  is  trivial  in  comparison  with 
the  protection  gained.  Taking  this 
policy  today  may  save  you  hundreds 
or  thousands  of  dollars  tomorrow." 

An  appeal  to  reason  is  an  appeal 
of  facts  and  figures.  There  is  nothing 
dramatic  or  striking  about  it.  When 
a  man  is  sold  purely  by  an  appeal 
to  his  reason,  he  usually  is  doing 
a  thing  he  doesn't  want  to  do 
because  his  reason  has  convinced 
him  that  he  should.  In  other  words, 
the  appeal  to  reason  doesn't  contain 
the  elements  that  make  a  man  want 
to  do  the  thing  you  want  him  to 
do.     Not  as  a  usual  thing. 

On  the  other  hand,  an  appeal  to 
the  emotions  is  in  reality  a  word 
picture  of  certain  conditions  so 
shaped  that  the  party  that  gets  it 
will  adapt  that  picture  to  himself. 
A  picture  is  made  that  is  flashed 
before  his  mental  retina  so  impres- 
sively that  it  lodges  in  his  memory 
and  is  pretty  sure  to  produce  results 
eventually,  if  not  now. 

A  great  many  people  think  that 
when  one  speaks  of  an  appeal  to 
the  emotions  it  must  necessarily 
mean  sob  stuff.  This  is  not  so. 
If  I  am  selling  clothes,  and  show  a 
man  a  suit,  and  then  go  on  to  tell  him 
that  the  suit  is  made  of  splendid 
material,  that  it  will  wear  like  iron, 
and  that  at  the  price  he  will  be 
saving  money,  I  am  appealing 
entirely  to  his  reason. 

But  if  I  tell  him  all  those  things, 
and  then  switch  off  and  tell  him 
how  fine  the  suit  looks  on  him,  how 
splendidly    it    fits    the    back,    how 


539 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


broad-shouldered  it  makes  him  look, 
and  that  it  is  a  style  much  affected 
by  progressive  business  men,  then 
I  shall  be  following  up  my  appeal 
to  his  reason  with  an  appeal  to  his 
desires  or  emotions.  There  is  no  sob 
stuff  about  this  particular  appeal, 
yet  it  is  an  emotional  appeal.  It 
plants  in  the  mind  of  the  prospective 
customer  a  picture  of  how  well  he 
would  look  in  the  suit  and  what  a 
favorable  impression  it  would  help 
him  to  make  upon  others. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say  that 
the  opening  paragraph  of  a  sales 
letter,    the    attention-getter,    might 


be  either  an  appeal  to  the  reason 
or  the  emotions,  preferably  both 
combined.  The  paragraph  or  para- 
graphs intended  to  arouse  interest 
might  also  be  of  either  form  of 
appeal,  or  both  combined.  But 
when  we  come  to  the  paragraphs 
that  excite  desire,  then  we  should 
dig  into  the  emotional  copy 
appeals. 

The  closer  should  smoothly  glide 
along,  sustaining  the  desire  that 
has  been  created,  fostering  it,  increas- 
ing it  if  possible,  and  adding  just 
the  touch  that  makes  the  prospect 
feel  he  should  act  at  once. 


The  following  is  part  of  a  paper  that  was  read  by  Mr.  James 
Wallen  before  the  Third  Annual  Conference  of  the  Better  Letters 
Association,  held  in  Cleveland,  in  1919.  Mr.  Wallen  was  for  many- 
years  associated  with  the  late  Elbert  Hubbard,  and  is  now  one  of 
the  leading  writers  of  publicity  in  the  country.  In  this  paper  he 
quotes  some  choice  examples  of  letter  writing  from  the  corre- 
spondence of  famous  men,  and  deduces  from  them  in  part  a  theme 
of  inestimable  importance  to  business  letter  writers.  Mr.  Wallen's 
business  letter  theory,  reduced  to  capsule  code,  is  just  this  :  "  As  to 
business  letters,  I  think  that  the  qualities  of  kindliness,  intimate 
interest  and  a  desire  for  helpfulness  which  make  the  personal 
letter  attractive  are  also  essential  to  the  success  of  the  business 
letter." 

THE  QUALITY  OF  RESTRAINT  IN  BUSINESS 
LETTERS! 

By  James  Wallen 


"TJOUGLAS  JERROLD,  essayist, 
'^  dramatist  and  wit,  author  of 
"  The  Heart  of  Gold  "  and  one  time 
editor  of  Lloyd's  Newspaper,  had  a 
motto  which  he  used  as  an  editorial 
yardstick.  "  Quality  not  quantity, 
is  my  measure,"  said  Jerrold.  This 
might  well  be  taken  as  the  working 
ideal  of  the  letter-writer.  By  quality, 
I  think  Douglas  Jerrold  meant  a 
certain   high-mindedness,   a  finished 


style,  sincerity  and  gentility.  And 
without  gentility  there  is  no  quality. 
A  man  of  quality  is  simply  a 
gentleman. 

There  are  many  men  of  letters 
and  of  business  who  are  notable  as 
skilful  letter  writers.  And  in  almost 
every  instance  a  gentle  grace  and  con- 
sideration for  others  distinguishes 
their  messages. 

What    a   desirable   thing   it   is  to 


Reprinted  by  permission  from  "Printers'  Ink"  for  January  1,  1920. 


540 


ARTICLES   FOR   STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


be  known  as  a  good  letter  writer. 
Francis  Wilson  says  of  Eugene  Field, 
"  His  personality  as  well  as  an 
interesting  quality  of  writing  crept 
into  Field's  letters,  and  I  have 
never  broken  a  seal  of  a  letter 
from  Field  without  a  chuckle  of 
anticipatory  pleasure  over  the  con- 
tents." I  would  say  that  for  the 
bu  siness  man  t  oday ,  such  a  feeling  with 
regard  to  his  letters  would  of  itself 
come  near  to  making  him  a  success. 

It  is  a  natural  but  most  unfor- 
tunate failing  that  the  most  impor- 
tant letters  are  those  in  which  we 
make  the  most  lamentable  mistakes. 

The  consciousness  of  "  taking  pen 
in  hand  "  often  drives  away  "to 
come  again  another  day  "  all  the 
moral  spontaneity  and  sparkle  of 
personality.  Then  it  is  that  we 
are  apt  to  overdo,  making  the  pro- 
duction altogether  too  lavish.  It  is 
with  letters  to  meet  extraordinary 
occasions  that  I  will  deal  here — ^let- 
ters of  congratulations,  explanation, 
anticipation,  and  condolence. 

Letters  of  this  character  require 
a  rigid  application  of  Douglas 
Jerrold's  motto,  "  Quality,  not  quan- 
tity, is  my  measure."  Suppression 
as  well  as  expression  must  be  called 
into  play.  Arthur  Ruhl  once  wrote 
a  very  interesting  letter  to  the 
editor  of  Collier's  Weekly,  which  is 
a  miniature  essay  on  good  writing. 
Said  Mr.  Ruhl  : 

"  I  am  glad  you  were  pleased 
with  the  '  Up  to  the  Front  '  story — 
the  first  part  of  that  satisfied  me 
more  than  anything  I  have  done 
for  a  long  time.  That  stand-of&sh 
way  of  handling  the  thing,  always 
with  the  air  of  keeping  a  little 
below  your  full  strength  of  steam, 
is  good  fun  when  you  can  pull  it 
off,  but  it  takes  a  great  deal  of 
time  and  self-restraint,  and  a  story 
like  this,  which  continually  tempts 
one  to  shj;-iek,  is  very  difficult  to 
handle  that  way — almost  impossible, 
in  a  hurry." 

You  will  note  that  Ruhl  put 
emphasis  on  reserve. 


WEIGHS  WORDS  ON  A   FINE   SCALE 

Restraint  is  especially  essential  in 
the  writing  of  letters  of  congratu- 
lation, appreciation,  and  acknow- 
ledgment. To  over -praise  a  gift, 
for  instance,  is  to  humiliate  the 
giver.  Michael  Monahan  received 
from  Eden  Phillpotts,  author  of 
"  Old  Delabole,"  what  one  might 
call  a  bijou  letter  for  its  gem-like 
qualities. 

"  Dear  Michael  Monahan  : 

"  I  shall  value  your  book  as  a 
memento  of  a  choice  spirit.  May 
many  and  many  a  sheaf  of  papyrus 
spring  up  from  your  wit  and  wisdom 
to  enlarge  men's  minds  and  teach 
them  tolerance  and  sympathy  and 
understanding. 

"  All  prosperity  attend  you  in  the 
New  Year,  and  the  good  wishes  of 

"  Your  grateful  friend, 

"  Eden  Phillpotts." 

Observe  how  carefully  Mr.  Phill- 
potts pays  his  compliments,  using 
three  related  words  with  absolutely 
different  shades  of  meaning — "  tol- 
erance," "  sympathy  "  and  "  under- 
standing." And  then  pay  your 
respects  to  that  masterly  manner 
of  merging  the  last  sentence  into 
the  signature. 

This  faculty  of  combining  grace 
and  brevity,  and  conveying  meaning 
at  the  same  time  was  one  of  the 
assets  of  the  late  Charles  Frohman. 
Isaac  Marcosson,  his  biographer, 
writes  :  "Mr.  Frohman  usually  had 
one  thing  to  say  and  said  it  in 
the  fewest  possible  words."  One  of 
Mr.  Frohman's  managers  disparaged 
an  actress  who  had  retired  from 
the  organization.  On  hearing  of  it 
Mr.  Frohman  wrote  : 

"  But  now  that  her  stage  life  is 
over  we  should  remember  her  years 
of  good  work.  She  had  a  simple, 
childish,  fairy-like  appeal.  I  write 
this  to  you  to  express  my  feeling 
for  one  who  has  left   our  work  for 


541 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


good,  and  I  can  think  now  only 
of  pleasant  memories.  I  want  you 
to  feel  the  same." 

To  meet  criticism  on  the  part  of 
an  actress  in  his  employment,  Mr. 
Frohman  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  In  this  message  I  am  charged 
with  neglecting  your  interests.  This 
is  a  shock  to  me,  because  when 
one  neglects  his  trust,  he  is  dis- 
honest. This  is  the  first  time  I 
have  ever  been  so  accused,  and  I 
am  wondering  if  you  inspired  the 
message.  I  think  it  important  that 
you  should  know." 

Mr.  Frohman  could  be  most 
gracious  in  a  letter  to  a  rival  man- 
ager, as  witnessed  in  this  communi- 
cation to  Granville  Barker  : 

"  I  hear  such  good  reports  about 
your  Shakespearian  work  that  I  am 
awfully  pleased.  I  have  a  Marconi 
from  Shakespeare  himself,  in  which 
he  speaks  highly  of  what  you  have 
done  for  his  work.  I  am  sure  this 
will  be  as  gratifying  to  you  as  it 
is  to  me." 

How  C.  F.  waited  for  time  to 
bring  one  of  his  stars  into  agree- 
ment with  him  on  a  disputed  point 
is  evidenced  in  this  note  to  Otis 
Skinner  : 

"  I  felt  all  that  you  now  feel 
about  the  vision  effect  when  I  saw 
the  dress  rehearsal.  It  looked  to 
me  like  a  magic-lantern  scene  that 
would  be  given  in  the  cellar  of  a 
Sunday-school." 

A  little  epistle  to  E.  H.  Sothern 
and  Julia  Marlowe  shows  how  the 
great  manager  warded  off  concern 
for  possible  tragedy  with  a  bit  of 
humor.  True  we  cannot  all  be 
humorists  but  we  can  all  be  human. 
And  humanity  is  reflected  in  every 
one  of  Charles  Frohman's  little 
letters  : 

"  I  wonder  why  you  don't  both 
sail  with  me  May  1st  {Lusitania). 
As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  when 
you  consider  all  the  stars  I  have 
managed,  mere  submarines  make  me 
smile.  But  most  affectionate  regards 
to  you  both." 


And  lastly  Frohman's  sly  two-sen- 
tence invitation  to  Booth  Tarkington 
to  visit  New  York  : 

"  I  don't  suppose  you  have  any 
idea  of  coming  to  New  York.  There 
are  a  lot  of  fine  things  here  worth 
your  while,  including  myself." 

FURTHER  WORDS  WOULD  HAVE 
FAILED 

An  associate  of  Charles  Frohman's, 
Charles  Dillingham,  has  attained  a 
similar  reputation  as  a  writer  of 
epigrammatic  letters.  In  this  vein 
was  a  report  he  made  from  Paris 
on  Mr.  Frohman's  venture  in  pro- 
ducing "  Secret  Service "  in  the 
French  capital.  On  the  opening 
night,  realizing  that  the  perform- 
ance was  a  failure,  he  cabled  Mr. 
Frohman  the  following  : 

"  The  tomb  of  Napoleon  looks 
beautiful  in  the  moonlight." 

It  was  Mr.  Dillingham  who  wrote 
to  a  budding  playwright  one  of 
the  shortest  but  most  conclusive 
letters  on  record  : 

"  My  Dear  Sir  : 

"  I  have  read  your  play. 
"  Oh,  my  dear  Sir. 

"  Charles  Dillingham." 

Letters  of  declination  are  always 
difficult  to  write,  whether  of  a  play 
or  merely  an  invitation  to  dinner. 
The  easiest  way  out  of  it  is  by 
way  of  good  humor.  It  was  in  such 
a  mood  that  George  Bernard  Shaw 
declined  an  invitation  from  the 
Drama  League  of  America  to  visit 
this  country. 

"  I  cannot  help  asking  myself 
whether  it  is  not  now  too  late. 
I  could  have  come  when  I  was 
young  and  beautiful.  I  could  have 
come  when  I  was  mature  and  capable. 
I  did  not.  I  am  now  elderly  and 
doddering.  Could  I  live  up  to  my 
reputation  ?  .  .  .  .  If  I  were  a 
modest  man,  I  should  not  think  of 
such  things.  Being  notoriously  an 
extremely  vain  one,  they  daunt  me. 
I     shall    leave     America    its    ideal 


542 


ARTICLES  FOR  STUDY  AND  DICTATION 


unshattered.  At  least,  unless  I 
change  my  mind  or  attain  such 
an  age  that  my  antiquity  becomes 
an  asset,  and  the  author  is  played 
off  the  stage  by  the  centenarian." 

Both  Mr.  Frohman  and  Mr.  Dil- 
lingham took  to  heart  the  dictum 
put  in  the  mouth  of  Samuel  Weller 
by  Dickens,  "  She'll  wish  there  was 
more,  and  that's  the  great  art  o' 
letter  writing," 

Elbert  Hubbard  was  a  super- 
master  of  the  "  art  o'  letter  writing." 
As  a  sample  of  his  quality,  let 
me  read  a  letter  that  came  to  me 
from  the  "  sage  of  East  Aurora." 

"  Dear  Jimmy  : 

"  You  are  the  best  and  most 
rapid  ad  writer  in  America  with 
one  exception. 

"  Elbert  Hubbard." 

more  could  not  be  said 
To  be  a  thing  of  quality,  a  letter 
must  not  be  over-embellished.  An 
object  discreetly  and  not  overly 
ornamented  is  most  apt  to  pass  as 
a  work  of  art.  Richard  Le  Galliene, 
in  an  essay  on  letter  writing,  said, 
"  Life  is  running  so  fast  neither 
you  nor  I  have  time  to  waste  on 
idle  words."  And  yet  there  are 
times  you  may  use  many  words  and 
not  one  of  them  be  idle.  As  an 
example  of  this,  I  will  quote  a 
rather  lengthy  letter  from  James 
Whitcomb  Riley  to  the  Mayor  of 
Indianapolis,  without  a  single  in- 
dolent word  in  its  composition — a. 
tribute  in  classic  phraseology. 

"  My  Dear  Mr.  Mayor  : 

"  When  it  came  to  my  notice  a 
few  days  ago  that  you  are  planning 
a  testimonial  concert  for  Miss  Helen 
Warrum,  I  felt  impelled  to  send 
you  a  word  of  good  cheer. 

"  According  to  the  Scriptures,  a 
prophet  is  not  without  honor  save 
in  his  own  country.  And  that  may 
s*ill  hold  good  '  down  in  Judee,' 
but  here  in  Hoosierland  we  use  the 
revised  version,  for  to  honor  our 
prophets  is  our  first  great  privilege. 


whether  they  come  with  a  sword 
and  shield  or  only  a  song  on  the 
lips.  All  we  ask  is  that  they  be 
not  false.  It  is  a  fine  tiling  that 
Indiana  has  come  to  realize  that 
to  honor  herself  she  must  first  honor 
her  children. 

"  This  young  girl  with  the  full 
throat  and  the  golden  note  has  sung 
herself  out  of  the  home  country 
into  the  larger  world.  As  she  is 
about  to  leave  for  that  land  where 
'  music  with  her  silver  sound '  is 
the  very  language  of  the  people, 
I  want  to  add  my  hearty  wishes  to 
the  many  that  will  follow  her. 

"  Her  father  and  her  father's 
father  were  near  and  dear  to  my 
own  people  in  the  days  that  are 
gone,  and  so  it  is  with  an  interest 
more  than  common  that  I  watch 
her  as  she  faces  the  hardships  and 
struggles  that  have  always  been 
the  toll  that  talent  pays  to  fame. 
That  she  will  face  them  bravely 
I  have  no  doubt  ;  that  she  will 
triumph,  I  firmly  believe  ;  but  what- 
ever may  befall  her,  she  goes  know- 
ing that  she  bears  with  her  the  faith 
and  affection  of  those  that  know 
her  best — her  neighbors.  As  one  of 
them,  I  sign  myself  with  every  good 
and  hopeful  wish, 

"  Cordially  yours, 

"  James  Whitcomb  Riley." 

Here  are  phrases  that  have  the 
halo  of  immortality,  put  into  a 
letter  which  Riley  penned  for  a 
transient  occasion.  The  single  line, 
"  The  hardships  and  struggles  that 
have  always  been  the  toll  that 
talent  pays  to  fame,"  would  be 
enough  to  earn  a  man  a  lasting 
place  in  literature. 

It  has  always  been  the  habit  of 
greatness  to  say  much  in  little.  And 
thus  we  find  that  when  Thomas 
Jefferson  presented  the  desk  on 
which  he  wrote  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  to  Joseph  Coolidge, 
the  gift  was  accompanied  by  a  greet- 
ing remarkable  for  its  compactness 
and  prophecy. 


543 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


"  Thomas  Jefferson  gives  this 
writing  desk  to  Joseph  Coolidge, 
Jr.,  as  a  memorial  of  affection.  It 
was  made  from  a  drawing  of  his 
own  by  Ben  Randall,  cabinet-maker 
of  Philadelphia,  with  whom  he 
first  lodged  on  his  arrival  in  that 
city  in  May,  1776,  and  is  the  iden- 
tical one  on  which  he  wrote  the  De- 
claration of  Independence.  Politics, 
as  well  as  Religion,  has  its  super- 
stitions. These,  gaining  strength 
with  time,  may,  one  day,  give 
imaginary  value  to  this  relic  for 
its  association  with  the  birth  of  the 
Great  Charter  of  our  Independence. 
"Monticello,  November  18,  1825." 
The  simplicity  of  the  Jeffersonian 
note  is  enough  to  give  the  labored 
writer  pause. 

PERSONALITY   NOT   OUT   OF   PLACE 
IN    BUSINESS    CORRESPONDENCE 

I  have  defined  quality  in  its  strict 
sense  of  gentility.     A  letter  is  simply 


an  extension  of  one's  personality 
whether  it  be  a  love  missive  or  a 
business  letter.  I  feel  that  the 
desirable  characteristics  of  personal 
letters  may  be  extended  to  those 
which  concern  exclusively  commer- 
cial matters.  I  prefer  to  look 
upon  business  as  does  H.  Gordon 
Selfridge  : 

"  A  field  yielding  its  rich  harvest 
in  quick  response  to  well-directed 
energy — a  field  to  be  looked  upon, 
if  we  will,  as  surrounded  with 
beautiful  flowers,  fragrant  always 
with  wonderful  Romance." 

Meanwhile,  may  I  suggest  that 
there  is  a  royal  road  to  perfection 
in  letter  writing  via  the  study  of 
the  epistles  of  great  letter  writers 
such  as  Stevenson,  Field,  Riley, 
Hubbard,  Monahan,  and  the  first 
great  American  advertising  man, 
Benjamin  Franklin  ?  I  say  the 
royal  road  because  it  takes  one  into 
the  land  where  dwell  the  choicest 
minds  of  all  time. 


In  a  fanciful  and  perhaps  a  somewhat  too  colloquial  manner, 
the  author  of  the  following  article  has  attempted  to  summarize 
the  principal  business  letter  "  ailments "  in  present-day  letter 
composition : 


LETTER  LEAKAGE! 

By  John  B.  Opdycke 


Do  your  letters  leak  ?  Do  they  spill 
all  over  the  of&ce  in  which  they 
are  received  and  necessitate  a 
psychological  0-Cedar-Mopping  before 
they  germinate  a  gist  ?  To  switch  the 
simile,  do  your  letters  make  the  business 
office  an  indecent  place  to  live  and 
have  your  being  in  ?  Are  you  doing 
your  pestiferous  bit  to  make  your  com- 
mercial letterspondence  unsafe  for  the 
transaction  of  business  in  a  democracy  ? 
There  is  one  man  at  least  who  says 
Yes  to  all  these  questions,  and  he  pro- 
claims his  affirmative  undauntedly  to  the 


universe.  He  believes  that  millions  of 
dollars  are  squandered  annually  through 
letter  leakage.  And  he  believes  this  is 
still  true  partly  ia  spite  of  and  partly 
because  of  the  present  renaissance  of 
interest  in  business  letter  writing  with  its 
flux  of  books  on  the  subject  and  its  adver- 
tised correspondence  courses  galore. 

He  is  connected  with  one  of  the  largest 
mailorder  houses  in  the  country  and  he 
probably  stands  second  to  no  one  in  the 
amount  of  mail  daily  diagnosed  and 
treated.  Letters  come  to  him  by  the 
thousands,  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 


Reprmted  by  permission  from  "Judicious  Advertising"  for  September,  1920. 

544 


ARTICLES   FOR  STUDY  AND  DICTATION 


and  -while  he  does  not,  of  course,  give 
individual  attention  to  every  letter  that 
is  assorted  to  his  office,  he  nevertheless 
refuses  to  permit  a  day  to  go  by  without 
taking  a  critical  close-up  of  large  batches 
of  mail.  He  takes  the  letter-pulse  of  the 
world  every  morning. 

A  word  with  his  secretary  informed  me 
that  he  never  receives  callers  in  the  morn- 
ing. He  was  always  engaged  with  his 
mail  at  that  time  and  never  allowed  him- 
self to  be  interrupted.  "  You  see,"  she 
continued,  "  he  replies  to  his  most  urgent 
letters,  first,  by  the  '  feel '  they  give  him 
while  he  is  reading  them  ;  then  he  dic- 
tates en  rapport,  as  it  were.  His  steno- 
grapher notes  the  facial  expression  he 
registers  as  he  reads  and,  when  he  is 
ready  to  reply  to  each  letter  in  turn,  she 
reminds  him  of  the  character  of  the 
flashes  belonging  to  each  section  of  the 
stenographic  reel.  You  will  easily  under- 
stand that  the  slightest  departure  from 
normal  routine  in  the  studio  might 
interfere  seriously  with  the  tone  deli- 
cacy of  the  subject's  facial  responses 
to  the  manuscripts — I  mean  letters — he 
reads." 

The  story  of  my  reportorial  insistence 
and  her  secretarial  resistance,  need  not  be 
told.  There  were  amendments,  interpre- 
tations, and  reservations  on  both  sides. 
And  there  was  a  compromise  like  this  : 
He  would  see  me  after  the  letter  scenario 
was  run  off,  and  in  the  meantime  I  could 
bide  my  time  in  the  ante-room  of  the 
studio,  getting  a  glance  and  a  sound  every 
now  and  again  through  the  crack  of  the 
door  which  was  to  be  left  slightly  ajar. 
And  so —  As  he  read  the  letter  through 
carefully  and  deliberately  but  fairly 
rapidly  I  could  sure  enough  see  definite 
reactions  recorded  on  the  man^s  sensitive 
features  and  I  could  sure  enough  hear  an 
occasional  grunt  or  chuckle  or  hum  or 
whistle.  The  machinery  was  in  full 
motion.  The  stenographer  recorded,  now, 
a  positive  close-up  ;  now,  a  fadeaway  ; 
now,  a  rapid  transformation  from  a  still 
to  a  thrill.  Coldness,  warmth,  anger, 
disgust,  fright,  shock,  befuddlement, 
doubt,  humor,  delight,  and  a  hundred 
other  blends  of  temperament  seemed  to 
be  flashed  sometimes  all  at  once,  some- 
times in  rapid  succession.  An  ordinary 
stenographer,  doing  Pitman  with  both 
hands  on  quadruplicating  paper,  coyldn't 
have  told  the  half  of  it.  But  this  psycho- 
logical stenographer  was  such  a  wizardess 
that  she  took  down  what  her  employer 
thought  even  before  he  had  completed 


his  thinking  process.  She  knew  his  apper- 
ceptions— his  complex,  as  it  were — and 
she  must  have  had  her  pad  resting  on  a 
Ouija  Board. 

However,  when  he  came  to  dictation, 
this  is  what  I  heard  : 

He  :  Watkins'  letter  ? 
She  :  You    gave    a    laugh    and    a 
whistle  ;  facial  reaction  clear-cut  and 
definite. 

He  :  Oh,  yes  (then  would  follow 
dictation  of  the  reply  to  Watkins). 
He  :  Ferguson's  letter  ? 
She  :  You  cleared  your  throat  and 
looked  vaguely  out  of  the  window  for 
an  instant.  Expression  faded  into 
neutrality  and  left  screen  blank 
momentarily. 

He  :  Yes,  yes,  I  recall.  I  shall  have 
to  ask  Ferguson  to  clarify  two  or 
three  of  the  clauses  in  that  contract 
(dictation  of  the  reply  to  Ferguson). 
He  :  What's  next  ? 
She  :  Fifth  letter  from  Marsden 
asking  for  extension  of  time  on  that 
loan.  You  hit  the  desk  with  your  fist 
when  you  read  his  letter  and  emitted 
a  low  ominous  growl  from  your 
lower  throat.  Total  flash  atmosphere, 
dissatisfaction. 

He  :  Quite  !  Take  this  for  Marsden. 
And  so  on.  When  the  erstwhile  for- 
midable secretary  came  to  tell  me  that 
the  reel  had  run  and  that  I  could  have  a 
few  minutes  interview  with  the  star,  she 
found  me  alternately  clapping  my  hands 
and  rubbing  my  eyes,  and  on  the  point  of 
shouting,  "  Serves  'em  right,  the  dubs!  " 
The  dynamic  gentleman  who  had  been 
devoting  his  time  to  temperamental  dic- 
tation, came  to  the  point  at  once.  He  did 
not  even  give  me  time  to  ask  for  what  I 
wanted.  He  knew.  His  secretary  or  his 
acrobatic  intuitions  or  his  Pitmanizing 
psycho-analyst  had  informed  him  fully. 
Here's  what  he  said  (I  omit  the  quotes 
to  cheat  the  printer)  : 

Young  man,  letter  writing  is  quite  as 
much  a  matter  of  feeling  as  intelligence. 
The  man  or  woman  who  cannot  feel  a 
letter  situation  and  meet  it  emotionally 
as  well  as  intellectually,  has  no  business 
anywhere  near  the  stenographer  or  the 
dictaphone.  This  is  only  to  say  that  all 
that  is  necessary  to  make  letters  the 
winged  messengers  that  they  should  be, 
is  character,  and  character  is  nothing  but 
feelings  and  brains  percolating  in  equal 
parts  through  individuality. 

There's  a   letter  writing   book   bom 


545 


35— (429) 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


every  minute.  There's  an  enrolment  in 
letter-writing  courses  at  some  sort  of 
institution  every  second.  But  you  can  no 
more  make  letter  writers  of  some  people 
by  leading  them  to  the  educational  gar- 
age than  you  can  make  horses  drink  by 
leading  them  to  the  old  oaken  bucket. 
Letter  writers,  like  poets,  are  born,  not 
made.  The  most  and  the  best  that  any 
book  or  course  can  do,  is  to  help  the  per- 
son of  average  understanding  to  discover 
for  himself  whether  he  has  it  in  him  or 
not  to  be  a  letterspondent.  It  is  because 
so  many  of  our  well-meaning  students 
refuse  to  take  the  cue  when  it  is  given  to 
them  and  says  to  them  in  so  many  words 
they  have  neither  the  feeling  nor  the 
brains  for  the  art  of  letter  writing,  that 
we  have  so  many  terrible  letter  writers 
today  along  with  the  tremendous  waste 
of  money  and  time  and  energy  in  letter 
output. 

How  many  kinds  of  letter  leakage  are 
there  ?  Oh,  about  fourteen.  Let's  call 
them  the  fourteen  points,  revive  a  good 
old-fashioned  term  : 

1.  There's  the  gaudy,  side-splitting 
letterhead,  that  porcupines  up  at 
you  from  the  top  of  the  letter 
sheet  (and  perhaps  from  both  sides 
as  well)  and  makes  it  impossible 
for  you  to  see  or  to  think  definitely 
of  anything  that  is  in  the  letter 
proper.  This  lure  of  lithography 
is  the  cause  of  incalculable  letter 
leakage.     That's  why  I  put  it  first. 

2.  There's  the  pyrotechnic  display,  a 
close  second  to  the  above.  I  mean 
the  everlasting  attempt  at  some- 
thing out  of  the  ordinary.  Here's 
a  case  of  staggered  paragraphs  ; 
there,  one  of  single-word  para- 
graphs ;  here,  one  of  alternately 
extended  and  indented  paragraphs  ; 
there,  a  letter  picture  to  introduce 
every  sentence.  The  letter  con- 
tent drips  through  almost  in  toto 
and  leaves  nothing  but  a  weak-tea 
adulteration. 

3.  There's  the  illogical  development 
in  letter  content — the  letter  that 
no  man  can  read  less  than  five 
times  if  he  would  get  even  a  slight 
idea  of  what  is  being  driven  at.  It 
is  usually  composed  (sic)  by  a 
short-circuited  thinkery  and  dic- 
tated by  a  low-geared  logic.  It 
springs,  in  other  diction,  from  a 
leaky  mind,  and  of  course  it  leaks 


not  only  via  the  four-letter  margins 
but  straight  through  the  stationery 
as  well. 

4,  There's  the  letter  that  carries  a 
postscript  or  two,  either  an  honest- 
to-goodness  one  or  one  that  is 
calculated  to  impress  the  reader 
with  the  writer's  all-fired  clever- 
ness and  his  ability  to  get  the 
human  touch  into  the  epistolary 
papyrus.  But  the  postscript  busi- 
ness is  just  another  hole  in  the 
bucket  through  which  the  real 
message  of  the  letter  drips  its 
vitality. 

5,  Then  there's  the  letter  bromides. 

0  my  yes,  the  letter  bromides  ! 
Some  smart  Alec  has  herded  and 
caged  and  tamed  them  all,  think- 
ing thereby  to  rub  them  out  by 
rubbing  them  in,  as  it  were.  But 
don't  you  believe  that  they  are 
being  eliminated.  They're  still  with 
us  con  molto.  I  am  still  thanked 
in  advance  every  blooming  day 
for  favors  that  come  duly  to  hand 
on  such-and-such  a  date  inst.  in 
reply  to  which  some  medieval 
letter  monk  begs  to  be  permitted 
to  inform  me  that  shipment  will 
go  forward  immediately  as  per 
request.  Leakage  ?  Nay,  more, 
sir,  a  spill  imto  emptiness.  The 
writers  of  such  letters  have  "pebbles 
on  their  tongues  and  fog  on  their 
brows,"  and  you  cannot  get  their 
message  for  their  words.  They 
make  me  think  of  a  bit  of  verse 

1  heard  the  other  day  : 

"  The    letters    that    our    parents 

wrote,  with  us  would  never  go : 
'  I  take  my  pen  in  hand  to  say  that 

I  am  thus  and  so,' — 
'  Enclosed  herewith,'  *  Beg  to  sub- 
mit,' '  I  hope  you  are  the  same,' 
And  all  their  sister  bromides  are 

now  of  moldy  fame  ; 
They've  been  cut  out,  condemned, 

consigned — ^with  something  of  a 

bang — 
To  what  they  call  the  Hell-box,  in 

printer's  telling  slang. 
The  apple  pie  that  mother  made, 

the  cider  dad  could  press, 
Why,  say,  they  still  go  big  with 

us,  and  always  will  I  guess  ; 
But  we've   simply   got   to   say   it 

without  disrespect  or  fuss: 
The  letters  that  these  good  folks 

wrote  are  not  the  kind  for  us." 


546 


ARTICLES   FOR   STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


6.  There's  the  letter  that  attempts  to 
treat  of  a  half  dozen  things  at 
once.  Oh,  the  itenas  may  be 
arranged  all  very  prettily,  seriatim, 
numbered  and  lettered,  dovetailed 
and  subordinated.  But  at  best, 
such  a  method  is  nothing  but  cheap 
vaudeville.  The  Old  Hampshire 
Bond  calls  for  concentrated  drama- 
turgy. Any  attempts  to  run  <M 
a  continuous  performance  of  differ- 
ent acts  simply  invites  a  leakage 
that  blurs  the  water-mark  and 
splashes  the  mahogany  roll-top. 
One-thing-at-a-time  has  been — 
is  being — preached  everywhere  all 
the  time  by  the  letter  experts, 
but  it  can  never  become  a  fact 
until  men  and  women  are  trained 
into  doing  one-think-at-a-time. 

7.  There's  the  letter  that  attempts  to 
star  the  reader  until  he  outshines 
all  other  constellations  in  the  uni- 
verse. It  has  grown  out  of  the 
advertising  you  business.  No  man 
in  this  world  has  been  more  you'd 
than  I  have  been  during  the  past 
dozen  years.  I've  been  you'd  in 
gothic,  in  script,  in  black  letter, 
in  Old  English,  in  Clarendon,  in 
all  the  other  families  of  faces  and 
in  every  point  in  every  family. 
Now,  suppose  we  grant,  just  for 
the  sake  of  dialectic,  that  I  am  the 
greatest  man  that  ever  lived, 
wouldn't  it  be  better,  don't  you 
think,  just  to  let  it  go  at  that  and 
concentrate  on  the  message  rather 
than  on  me  ?  The  letter  writer 
that  falls  for  the  you-heresy,  nine 
times  out  of  ten,  writes  a  letter 
that  entails  at  least  85%  leakage. 
Sensible  people  aren't  fooled  by 
the  you-stuff. 

8.  There's  the  letter  that  knows  it 
all,  makes  you  feel  like  a  double- 
barreled  nonentity,  and  mops  up 
the  atmosphere  with  you  telling 
what  you  ought  to  do  or  ought  to 
have  or  ought  to  be  !  It  doesn't 
intend  to  be  fresh,  but  it  just  is, 
because  the  writer  back  of  it  is  the 
sort  of  person  who  cannot  help 
being  aggressive.  He  goes  about 
slapping  people,  whom  he  barely 
knows,  familiarly  on  the  back,  as 
if  they  had  been  pals  for  years.  It 
is  too  bad,  perhaps,  that  such 
dynamic  spirit  cannot  be  spent 
discreetly  and  therefore  profitably. 


As  a  rule,  it  passes  for  mere  fresh- 
ness and  leaks  its  message  (if  it 
have  one)  because  of  the  antag- 
onistic mood  it  creates  in  the  one 
who  reads  it. 

9.  There's  the  letter  that  we  call 
routine.  I  mean  the  letter  that  is 
written  by  a  man  who  has  been  so 
long  in  a  rut  that  he  has  become  a 
rutineer.  All  he  needs  is  a  rubber 
stamp  anchored  to  his  desk  by  a 
bit  of  clothes  line  and  a  fanfare 
of  forms.  Then  he  can  smoke  his 
big  Havana  or  chew  chocolate 
covered  marshmallows  in  diapason 
with  the  "  handling  "  of  his  corre- 
spondence. Some  day  somebody 
will  invent  a  machine  to  do  hi^ 
"work"  (and  incidentally  econo- 
mize on  the  cigars  and'  marsh - 
mallows),  and  then  he  will  have  to 
take  a  course  in  letter-writing  or 
blaze  a  trail  to  the  hobo  sani- 
tarium. The  letter  that  leaks  as  a 
result  of  its  mechanical  and  char- 
acterless dumbshow  is  "  deader 
than  the  deadest  of  dead  issues  !  " 

10.  And  there's  still  the  letter  that 
parades  incorrect  grammar  and 
spelling  and  punctuation.  Yes, 
indeed,  with  all  our  millions  ex- 
pended for  public  education  and 
with  yet  other  millions  expended 
for  private  education,  we  have  with 
us  today  "  he  dont,"  "  recieve," 
and  "  Smith,  Brovwi  ;  and  Bar- 
bour." And  even  though  the  aver- 
age run  of  men  and  women  may 
not  be  able  to  tell  you  definitely 
what's  wrong  with  these  three 
sisters  of  the  well  profane,  they 
will  nevertheless  get  a  genuinely 
repulsive  reaction  from  them,  just 
as  they  do  on  looking  at  a  picture 
that  violates  some  minor  canon 
of  art.  The  letter  that  leaks 
through  error  in  the  technical 
fundamentals  of  expression  not 
only   loses   all   its  own   force   but 

'gives  the  reader  a  very  poor  opinion 
indeed  of  the  writer. 

11.  There's  the  letter,  too,  that  goes 
out  of  its  way  to  be  freakish  in 
the  matter  of  the  placement  of 
parts.  For  the  attention  of  is  the 
chief  phrasal  offender  in  such  mis- 
sives. Sometimes — usually,  I  fear 
— it  is  allowed  to  stand  exactly  at 
the  optical  center  of  the  page,  thus 
usurping  the  place  that  should  be 


547 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


occupied  by  the  first  two  or  three 
lines  of  the  communication.  Jug- 
gling with  the  parts  in  order  to  be 
different,  the  chap  who  writes  this 
letter  frequently  forgets  his  date 
entirely,  or  else  piles  it  up  like  an 
adobe  dwelling  in  some  outlandish 
position.  But  if  he  forgets  the 
date,  don't  open  your  reply  to  him 
with  "  Your  undated  letter  of —  ?  " 
Don't  do  this,  please ;  it's  too 
much  like  striking  a  man  when 
he's  down.  Let  his  message  leak 
gently  but  surely  out  of  the  holes 
he  has  made.  Don't  knock  the 
bottom  out  of  his  epistolary  pan. 

12.  There's  the  letter  without  end — 
the  letter  that  not  only  says  it  all, 
but  more,  and  says  it  in  every 
variety  of  form  possible.  The  man 
who  writes  it  may  think  logically 
but  he  doesn't  think  thriftly.  His 
vigor  voltage  may  be — probably  is 
— the  highest  ever,  but  he  expends 
his  caloric  atoms  tandem.  This 
letter  is  never  shorter  than  two 
full  pages,  and,  as  a  rule,  runs 
to  four  or  six.  It  is  also  likely  to 
be  set  solid,  and  composed  of  long 
involved  sentences,  which,  while 
grammatically  correct,  keep  the 
reader  everlastingly  going  back  to 
recoup  lost  threads  (like  this  very 
sentence  I  am  just  finishing).  The 
bigger  the  pail,  the  greater  the 
leakage,  if  any.  The  longer  the 
letter,  the  greater  the  leakage 
ninety-nine  years,  eleven  months 
and  thirty  days  out  of  every  century. 

13.  Then  there's  the  letter  that  pre- 
tends to  answer  and  doesn't.  Why, 
I  get  hundreds  of  this  sort.  They 
all  start  with  the  best  of  inten- 
tions evidently,  indicating  that  the 
very  explanation  requested  is  about 
to  be  given  in  honest-to-daylight, 
unmistakable  prose.  And  then — 
something  slips  !  At  any  rate, 
the  explanation  does  not  explain, 
the  answer  does  not  answer. 
Somebody  has  failed  to  get  the 
thing  desired.  To  be  sure,  the 
letter  upon  which  this  reply  is 
based  may  have  vamped  all  the 
bromides  in  the  language  and  thus 
have  been  vague  and  vicious.  But 
the  answer  that  simply  does  not 
answer  is  being  dictated  this 
minute  in  hundreds  of  offices  in 
reply   to   letters   that    are    crystal 


clear  and  liquidly  lucid.  And  it 
is  one  of  the  most  exasperating 
leakage  vehicles  of  them  all.  It 
simply  makes  an  endless  chain 
process  of  a  correspondence  that 
should  require  but  two  letters — 
one  to  request  and  one  to  reply. 

14.  Last,  but  worst  of  all,  is  the 
newest  bad  letter — the  letter  that 
is  written  by  one  of  the  letter 
experts.  He  has  just  graduated 
from  the  correspondence  school  and 
his  letters  are  perfection's  model. 
He  thanks  you  first  and  last,  for 
everything  under  the  sun.  He 
agrees  with  you  absobloominglutely 
all  the  time.  He  never  uses  / 
or  we,  but  plays  up  you  with 
what  he  hopes  will  be  taken  as 
ingratiating  restraint.  He  wouldn't 
be  positive  for  anything  in  the 
world — he  might  offend.  And  he 
is  so  obviously  evasive  of  bro- 
mides that  you  want  to  kill  the 
man  who  caged  and  tamed  them 
all,  and  let  them  run  wild  again 
to  jungleize  the  letter  phraseology. 
His  letter  picture  is  exquisite 
enough  to  give  it  a  place  in  the 
Frick  gallery.  You  cannot  gather 
what  this  letter  says  for  seeing 
what  it  is.  The  stamp  of  educa- 
tional quackery  effaces  its  message 
conipletely.  It  is  splendidly  null 
and  faultily  faultless.  It  attracts 
attention  through  its  studied  graces; 
therefore,  it  leaks  and  spills  and 
effervesces  and  goes  up  in  foam. 

That's  the  end,  sir.  I  don't  say  that 
these  fourteen  points  constitute  all  ;  I 
don't  say  that  many  of  these  do  not 
overlap  ;  and  I  don't  say,  mind  you,  that 
the  present  renaissance  of  interest  in  the 
subject  of  letter  writing  is  not  one  of 
the  very  best  movements  that  ever 
occupied  the  attention  of  business  people. 
The  letter  textbook  and  the  letter  course 
do  much  good.  Long  may  they  live  ! 
But  they  do  not  always  make  good  letter 
writers.  They  unmake  them.  And  they 
certainly  are  not  overcoming  letter 
leakage  as  rapidly  as  they  should  do. 

Why,  letter  writing  is  as  much  a 
matter  of  feeling  as  painting  and  music 
and  wrriting  and  advertising  copy  are. 
Bad  letters  offend  not  only  one's  intelli- 
gence, but  one's  finer  feelings  as  well. 
It  is  a  vicious  policy  to  allow  just  any- 
body in  your  office  to  take  a  hand  at 


548 


ARTICLES  FOR  STUDY  AND  DICTATION 


letter  writing.  Keep  Pinero  writing 
plays  ;  Masefield,  poetry ;  Hall,  advertis- 
ing, and  Schulze  letters.  Don't  switch 
things  around  just  to  accommodate  the 
oflfice  organization.  If  you  do,  you'll 
have  Wells  writing  advertisements  as 
novels  are  written,  and  Davidson  doing 
plays  as  letters  are  done .  Let  every  busi- 
ness office  take  its  letter  writing  seriously 
to  heart,  and  leave  no  paper-weight 
unturned  to  come  at  ways  and  means  for 
getting  character  and  feeling  into  their 
letters. 

My  device,  for  the  present  (as  you 
have  doubtless  been  told)  is  to  make  a 
little  movie  of  every  letter  situation   I 


personally  deal  with .  The  returns  to  date 
have  been  gratifying.  Next  week  I  am 
going  to  have  each  of  several  letters 
answered  by  a  half  dozen  people.  Then 
I'm  going  to  weigh  and  judge  those 
answers  in  committee.  The  best  reply 
will  be  sent  out.  Later,  I  am  going  to  try 
still  other  devices — all  as  part  of  the  cam- 
paign we  are  making  to  stem  and  prevent 
letter  leakage.  It  costs  us  time  and 
money — this  experimenting.  But  then — 
so  does  letter  leakage. 

Good  day,  young  fellow,  and  thank 
you  for  permitting  me  the  privilege 
of  this  loquacious  leakage  for  almost  an 
hour. 


Mr.  John  T.  Bartlett  in  this  article  admits  that  business  letters 
have  to  be  written  under  a  wide  variety  of  circumstances,  but  he 
believes  that  the  business  letter  writer  can  and  should  cultivate  a 
cheerful  attitude,  no  matter  what  the  exactions  that  are  made  upon 
him.  Mr.  Bartlett  has  this  to  say  about  the  general  subject  of 
business  letter  writing  :  "  I  have  the  feeling  about  letter  writing  that 
progress  on  the  instruction  side  has  only  begun.  Some  of  the  biggest 
principles  have  been  isolated  and  widely  published  and  taught.  In 
much  the  same  way  the  child  is  taught  early  at  school  that  the  world 
is  round,  and  that  there  are  five  oceans.  There  is  much  more  to 
letter  writing  than  some  of  the  first  fundamentals,  just  as  there  is 
to  geography  or  mathematics  or  political  economy.  The  business 
letter  writer  who  absorbs  a  few  fundamentals,  and  lets  it  go  at 
that,  nowadays  is  ubiquitous,  and  this  is  partly  because  a  condition 
hasn't  been  adequately  appreciated  and  attacked." 

MOODS  THAT  MAKE  GOOD  LETTERS  ^ 

By  J.  T.  Bartlett 


'T'HE  newspaper  man  has  a  brother 
•■■  in  the  trained  letter  writer — 
the  newspaper  man,  that  is,  who  starts 
with  that  sensitiveness  we  call  tem- 
perament (a  very  valuable  trait, 
too),  irons  out  the  wrinkles  and  gets 
in  the  way  of  rising  consistently 
to  his  story  day  after  day,  no 
matter  what  the  differing  circum- 
stances of  weather,  digestion,  finan- 
cial condition,  or  whatnot  affecting 


what    we     usually    call     frame     of 
mind. 

Both  newspaper  man  and  letter 
writer  have  acquired  the  knack, 
the  extremely  valuable  knack,  of 
summoning  the  proper  mood  for 
best  work  with  a  simple  physical 
act.  The  newspaper  man  rolls  into 
his  typewriter  a  sheet  of  copy 
paper — and  like  a  miracle,  the  muse 
alights  on  his  shoulder. 


*  Reprinted  by  permission  from  "  Printers'  Ink"  for  March  18,  1920. 


549 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


The  trained  letter  writer  scans  the 
letter  he  is  to  answer,  or  just  "  pulls 
himself  together,"  as  he  perhaps 
puts  it.  In  a  twinkling  he  is  in 
the  proper  frame  of  mind  for  the 
task  in  hand.  Insofar  as  mood 
colors  his  letter,  the  letter  will  be 
colored  well. 

Neither  with  the  newspaper  repor- 
ter nor  the  business  correspondent 
is  this  ability  to  write  well  under 
nearly  any  circumstances  acquired 
without  discipline.  It  is  not  first 
nature  for  any  young  fellow,  no 
matter  how  talented,  to  do  "  corking 
stuff  "  under  the  high-pressure  con- 
ditions of  the  city  room,  the  atmos- 
phere vibrant  with  a  hundred  dis- 
tracting influences.  It  is  not  first 
nature  for  the  letter  writer,  no 
matter  how  gifted,  to  adapt  him- 
self instantly  to  the  situation  in 
hand,  and  write  the  best  business 
letter  fitted  to  it.  "  First  nature  " 
is  to  give  vent  to,  not  repress, 
anger  or  other  strong  feeling.  "  First 
nature  "  is  for  one  to  be  thrown 
out  of  stride  by  disturbing  develop- 
ments in  the  morning  mail,  a 
disagreeable  incident  in  the  office. 

There  is  one  type  of  person  to 
whom  letter  writing  seems  so  alien, 
unnatural  a  job  that  invariably 
he  writes  affectedly,  unnaturally, 
poorly.  There  is  a  second  person 
who  writes  so  naturally  that  the 
transient  mood  colors  whatever  he 
writes.  He  writes  "  just  as  he 
feels."  There  is  another  person 
who  acquires  a  characteristic  letter- 
writing  mood,  along  with  the  knack 
of  summoning  it  up — a  poor  mood. 
The  fourth  person  when  he  writes 
falls  readily  into  the  proper  frame 
of  mind  for  most  effective  letters. 
That  man  is  the  well  trained  letter 
writer. 

"  HOW   WAS   HE    FEELING  ?  " 

I  have  a  certain  correspondent 
from  whom  during  the  past  several 
years  -  I  have  received  hundreds 
of  communications.     He  is  a  good, 


level-headed  man,  too,  a  man  of 
good  judgment. 

But  getting  one  of  his  letters, 
invariably  I  ask  myself  :  "  How 
was  he  feeling  when  he  wrote  this  ?  " 
That  question  decided,  I  can  proceed 
to  ponder  what  he  says. 

Some  of  his  letters  are  long, 
buoyant,  glowingly  optimistic.  He 
was  feeling  fine  ! 

Some  of  his  letters  are  cold, 
short,  bitten-off.  He  was  feeling 
"  rotten." 

If  he  is  feeling  "  touchy,"  he 
writes  a  terse,  "  touchy  "  letter. 

One  day  he  will  answer  complaints 
as  pleasantly  and  tactfully  as  a 
saint.  The  next  day  he  will  try 
to,  but  he  is  sure  to  give  at  least 
one  sentence  a  twist  which  will 
reveal  his  resentment  to  the  sensi- 
tive customer.  He  is  "  out  of 
sorts." 

I  know  of  another  letter  writer 
who,  receiving  a  letter  which  pleases 
him,  always  feels  like  saying  some- 
thing "  funny  "  in  reply.  He  is  all 
"  lighted  up  "   with  pleasure. 

Along  with  this  man's  impulse 
toward  wit  is  a  feeling  that  he 
just  can't  wait  to  answer  that 
good  letter.  He  wants  to  talk 
right  back,  getting  off  his  little 
joke. 

This  business  man  happens  to 
have  given  a  lot  of  thought  to  his 
letters,  and  as  one  result  of  his 
stern  self-examination  he  never  grati- 
fies the  quick  impulse  to  humor 
which  a  pleasing  letter  arouses.  For 
just  one  reason  :  He  knows  that 
when  he  is  feeling  "  witty,"  he 
never  writes  good  business  letters. 
He  knows  those  jokes  of  his,  exam- 
ined in  the  cold,  grey  light  of  to- 
morrow, will  be  stupid  near-jokes. 
He  realizes  that  if  he  wrote  those 
"  funny  "  letters  to  which  he  is 
"  inspired,"  he  would  cut  just  that 
sort  of  ridiculous  caper  which  some 
men  and  women  do  in  that  mood 
we  call  glee. 

The  next  day  he  envelops  him- 
self   in    that    even    frame    of    mind 


550 


ARTICLES   FOR   STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


which  is  the  priceless  asset  of  the 
good  letter  writer,  and  writes  an 
excellent  letter.  He  may  even  crack 
a  joke  in  it,  but  it  won't  be  that 
witticism  which  suggested  itself  to 
him  the  day  before,  when  he  was 
in  the  hghter  vein. 

I  know  another  letter  writer  who 
has  a  characteristic  letter-writing 
mood,  but  a  very  poor  one.  This 
gentleman's  idea  of  a  good  business 
letter  is  one  that  is  icily  formal. 
To  write  such  a  letter  he  has  cor- 
rectly deduced  that  the  writer  should 
be  in  a  distant,  cold,  we-all-must- 
die-sometime  frame  of  mind.  He 
has  cultivated  this  letter-writing 
mood  until  it  answers  like  Rover 
to  a  whistle.  He  is  a  wretched 
letter  writer. 

There  is  another  well-known  corre- 
spondent whose  letters  always  pro- 
voke a  quiet  amusement.  This  man 
was  an  "  orator  "  once  upon  a 
time — a  "  spread-eagle  "  orator. 
When  he  dictates  a  letter,  he  char- 
acteristically "  orates  "  striding 
about  the  room.  His  letter-writing 
mood  is  a  "high-horse"  mood;  yet 
come  to  know  him,  he  is  a  human, 
likable  man. 

Equally  unfortunate  is  the  letter 
writer  who  realizes  the  helplessness 
of  the  stenographer  or  dictating 
machine  and  talks  in  a  letter  as 
he  never  gets  a  chance  to  talk  in 
real  life.  This  is  the  man  who 
"  pours  out  his  whole  soul,"  whether 
the  subject  be  a  car  of  canned 
goods  or  a  seat  at  the  opera.  Sitting 
down  to  dictate,  he  mellows,  grows 
congenial,  even  confidential.  His 
isn't  a  desirable  letter- writing  mood. 
He  is  noted  for  his  long  letters — 
and  abominated  for  them. 

He  has  written  letters  in  this 
mood  so  long  that  he  can't  write 
in  any  other  mood. 

ACQUIRING  A   PRECIOUS  LETTER- 
WRITING   HABIT 

And  therein  is  a  lesson  for  any 
business  letter  writer,  a  truly-truly 


guide  to  concealed  treasure.  Writing 
letters  over  a  period  of  years,  we 
characteristically  acquire  a  definite, 
individual  letter-writing  mood,  a 
mood  that  comes  over  us  the 
minute  we  begin  to  dictate.  This 
is  habit.  And  the  mood  will  prob- 
ably be  the  one  in  which  we  have 
happened — ^just  happened  ! — ^to  have 
written  oftenest  during  our  first 
months  or  years  at  business  corre- 
spondence. Sometimes  this  char- 
acteristic mood  originates  farther 
back,  in  personal  correspondence. 

I  have  a  close  personal  friend, 
a  good  letter  Avriter,  who  has  had, 
first  and  last,  his  share  of  personal 
misfortunes. 

He  has  a  fine,  loyal  mother 
"  back  home  " — and  because  he 
couldn't  bear  the  thought  of  causing 
her  unhappiness,  he  fell  into  the 
habit  of  "  making  the  best  of 
things  "  in  letters  home.  He  always 
painted  a  hopeful  picture  in  his 
letters,  and  when  he  was  so  down- 
right discouraged  that  he  couldn't 
write  cheerfully,  he  just  didn't 
write,  but  waited  for  the  hopeful 
mood.  A  letter  from  this  man 
came  to  mean  just  one  kind  of 
letter — a  cheerful  letter  ;  and  after 
a  space  of  time  it  became  a  habit 
to  write  cheerfully,  sanely,  under 
practically  any  circumstances. 

He  carried  the  same  cheerful  spirit 
into  his  business  correspondence. 

If  it  were  always  possible  for 
a  business  letter  writer  to  delay 
letters  until  he  was  in  the  right 
sort  of  mood  to  write  them  well, 
eventually  his  letter  writing  would 
be  so  closely  associated  with  this 
mood  that  the  letter  writer  couldn't 
dictate  a  letter  without  falling 
into  it. 

Habit  is  so  strong  ! 

Business  letters  are  written  under 
a  great  variety  of  circumstances. 
In  many  cases  the  letter  writer 
has  no  latitude.  Letters  must  be 
written  at  a  certain  time,  and  no 
other,  no  matter  how  the  letter 
writer  is  feeling.     But  in  thousands 


551 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


of  other  cases,  it  is  possible  for 
the  letter  writer  to  exercise  judgment. 

It  is  a  pity,  in  the  case  of  an 
important  letter,  if  the  letter  writer 
does  it  when  he  does  not  feel  "  up 
to  it."  What  does  "  up  to  it  " 
mean  ?  It  means  the  feeling  a 
great  surgeon  must  have  before  a 
critical  operation,  a  famous  actor 
before  the  crucial  first  night,  a 
shrewd  political  candidate  before  the 
deciding  speech  of  his  campaign. 
Feeling  "up  to  it  "  involves  a 
recruiting  of  nervous  energy,  and 
the  ability  to  apply  that  energy 
cleanly,  daringly,  prodigally,  at 
white  hot  tension,  within  a  certain 
space  of  time,  to  accomplish  the 
magnificent  feat. 

Procrastination,  reasonably,  in 
connection  with  important  letters, 
is  certainly  justifiable  when  the 
letter  writer  doesn't  feel  "  up  to 
it."  Let  him  have  an  evening  of 
relaxation,  a  good  long  night's 
sleep — and  then  tackle  the  important 
letter  the  next  day. 

GIVING  A  LETTER  ALL. YOU  HAVE 
IS   NOT   TOO    MUCH 

We  know  that  anger  ought  or- 
dinarily never  to  get  into  a  letter. 
We  know  that  other  primitive 
emotions,  like  ridicule,  or  fear, 
or  worry,  or  even  exuberance  of 
spirit,  ordinarily  should  not.  Con- 
ceivably there  are  occasions  when 
an  emotion  given  outlet  is  just 
the  thing,  but  it  is  usually  much 
better  letter  writing  to  repress  a 
primitive  mood  than  to  give  it 
outlet  in  a  business  letter.  It  is 
much  more  profitable  in  business 
to  have  first  regard  for  others' 
feelings  than  to  have  first  regard 
for  our  own. 

Repression,  however,  does  not 
imply  that  a  letter  writer  should 
dictate  with  scattered  energies  and 
vacant  mind.  One  thing  that  a 
strong  emotion  like  anger,  or  even 
great     pleasure,     does    when    given 


free  rein,  is  to  pull  together  the 
letter  writer's  faculties  in  a  kind 
of  stimulated,  but  very  effective, 
concentration.  He  writes  a  letter 
at  least  with  force.  He  writes  a 
letter  which  most  likely  gets  a 
quick  and  very  positive  reaction  in 
the  recipient. 

REPRESSION    AN    ERROR,    UNLESS 
SOMETHING    BETTER    IS    SUBSTITUTED 

In  repressing  such  stimulative 
emotions,  however,  the  letter  writer 
gets  far  off  the  track  if  he  sub- 
stitutes scattered  energies  and  a 
general  half -heart  edness.  We  all 
get  many  letters  which  sound  as 
though  half  the  writer's  thoughts 
were  out  the  window.  And  very 
likely  they  were  !  The  character- 
istic letter-writing  mood  of  thousands 
of  letter  writers  is  a  dull  grey  half- 
there  mood.  They  are  thinking 
simultaneously  of  the  ball  game, 
or  how  deucedly  fagged  a  fellow 
feels  after  a  night  out.  They  try 
to  make  letter  writing  a  routine 
job  to  be  done  automatically. 

Now  a  letter  of  any  account  is 
something  that  absolutely  cannot 
be  written  automatically,  in  a  dull, 
grey,  perfunctory  mood.  If  a  letter 
writer  would  do  a  letter  which  will 
grip  the  reader,  securing  concentrated 
attention,  thought,  action,  he  him- 
self must  be  equally  gripped  by  the 
subject  he  is  writing  about,  must 
give  to  it  as  close  attention  as  he 
wishes  it  to  receive.  Letters  that 
are  written  with  real  feeling  are 
read  with  real  feeling. 

So,  when  we  deliberately  refuse 
anger  or  another  emotion  the  priv- 
ilege of  supplying  the  "  steam  " 
with  which  to  produce  a  vibrating 
letter,  we  need  to  cultivate  the 
knack  of  substituting  a  gathering 
together  of  faculties  and  energies 
equally  efficient.  Good  letter  writers 
acquire  this  knack.  Many,  often 
without  realizing  it  themselves,  have 
it. 


552 


ARTICLES   FOR   STUDY  AND   DICTATION 


Mr.  Charles  S.  Nagel,  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  has  explained  in  this 
article  briefly  and  tersely  a  very  effective  method  of  managing 
collection  letter  machinery.  The  article  contains  a  big  idea  for  all 
executives  who  write  letters  and  who  collect  money.  Mr.  Nagel 
states  his  letter  creed  in  part  as  follows  :  "I  believe  in  the  conver- 
sational style  of  diction,  choice  but  everyday  dynamic  business 
expressions,  words  with  as  few  syllables  as  possible,  and  in  the 
elimination  of  the  innumerable  present-day  glaring  examples  of 
letters  prompted  by  purely  mercenary  motives." 


FASTER  COLLECTIONS;  LESS  EXPENSE i 

By  Charles  S.  Nagel 


To  handle  the  comparatively  few 
situations  that  arise  in  the  routine 
departments,  most  concerns  send 
out  thousands  of  letters,  each  of  several 
hundred  perhaps  telling  the  same  story 
in  a  different  way. 

Some  of  these  letters  are  unusually 
good.  Others  are  unusually  poor,  and  it 
is  true  that  even  the  best  correspondent 
fails  to  do  justice  to  every  letter  that 
he  dictates. 

To  meet  that  situation  we  worked  out  a 
method  that  is  now  serving  us  well.  In  our 
credit  and  collection  department  alone, 
we  are  saving  $1000.  a  month  by  sending 
out  form  letters,  individually  typed. 

And  of  more  importance  is  the  fact 
that  since  we  adopted  these  form  letters 
our  overdue  accounts  outstanding  have 
been  substantially  reduced,  notwith- 
standing a  great  increase  in  business. 
Complaints  have  been  fewer  than  at  any 
time  in  the  past,  and  we  have  traced 
many  orders  directly  to  the  forceful, 
courteous  letters  we  have  been  using. 

The  reason  is  almost  obvious  when  we 
contrast  with  extemporaneous  outbursts 
from  various  men  of  widely  different  tem- 
peraments, the  carefully  and  analytically 
prepared  letters  of  a  specialist.  But  to 
guard  against  mistakes  that  the  specialist 
may  make,  we  go  a  step  further  and 
appoint  a  letter-censorship  committee. 

This  committee  consists  of  the  depart- 
ment manager  as  chairman  and  three 
others  of  the  best-qualified  men  in  the 
department  ;  their  duty  it  is  to  accept, 
reject,  or  revise  letters  submitted  for 
standardization. 

Our  theory  of  it   is  that  no  matter 


whether  the  correspondent  is  expert  or  of 
mediocre  ability,  the  more  he  deliberates 
the  more  likely  it  is  that  his  letters  will 
meet  the  nice  requirements  of  the 
situation. 

When  a  correspondent  finds  a  situation 
arising  often  enough  to  warrant  a  form 
letter,  he  is  urged  to  submit  a  letter  to  fit 
the  case.  The  censorship  committee 
holds  a  meeting  once  a  week  and 
goes  over  all  letters  submitted  for 
standardization. 

If  the  character  of  the  message 
intended  to  be  conveyed  is  but  little 
out  of  the  ordinary,  the  letter  may  be 
approved  after  one  careful  reading. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  it  required  extra- 
ordinary care  for  fear  of  conflicting  with 
the  company's  policies,  or  for  other 
reasons,  copies  are  made  for  all  members 
of  the  committee  so  that  the  letter  may 
be  taken  home  and  studied  thoroughly. 
Then  it  is  presented  at  the  next  meeting. 
The  knowledge  that  his  proposed  letter 
will  meet  with  this  scrutiny  tends  to 
make  the  correspondent  think  seriously 
in  preparing  a  form  letter  to  submit  to  it. 

If  each  member  of  the  committee  sub- 
mits a  letter  to  cover  some  one  situation, 
the  best  one  of  the  four  is  accepted,  the 
majority  of  the  committee  ruling.  When 
this  is  done  the  letter,  together  with  the 
original  copy,  is  referred  again  to  the 
correspondent  who  wrote  it.  After  get- 
ting his  approval  of  the  revised  form,  the 
chairman  of  the  committee  gives  the 
accepted  form  a  number,  has  it  indexed, 
and  orders  copies  to  be  made  to  go  into 
all  of  the  form-letter  books. 

Dictated       letters        are        censored 


^  Reprinted  by  permission  fr^m  "  System  "  for  August,  1919. 

553 


BUSINESS   LETTER   PRACTICE 


periodically ;  but  this  is  done  by  the  head 
of  the  department,without  the  committee. 

We  give  extraordinary  care  to  selecting 
and  training  our  correspondents.  For 
example,  all  letters  of  new  employees  are 
censored  during  the  first  four  weeks  and 
at  regular  intervals  thereafter.  The 
recruit's  elementary  training  consists  in 
the  main  of  learning  how  best  to  use  our 
form  letters,  with  just  enough  dictation 
to  break  the  monotony.  By  the  time  he 
has  accomplished  this  he  has  uncon- 
sciously acquired  a  pretty  thorough 
understanding  of  the  kind  of  "  letter 
representation  "  that  we  expect  him  to 
give  the  company. 

Once  in  a  while  a  correspondent  will 
use  a  letter  that  does  not  exactly  fit  the 
case,  but  this  is  also  true  of  men  who  dic- 
tate letters.  They  do  not  always  score 
bull's  eyes,  but  we  have  minimized  the 
wrong  use  of  our  form  letters  by  designing 
each  one  to  follow  up  letters  written  for 
some  special  circumstance  ;  for  example, 
where  no  word  has  been  received  from  the 
customer  or  where  we  have  received  no 
reply  to  previous  form  letters.  If  the  cus- 
tomer writes  us,  with  few  exceptions,  our 
reply  is  dictated.  That  is  why  we  have 
little  trouble  with  "misfit"  form  letters. 
To  guard  against  sending  the  same 
letter  more  than  once  to  the  same  man, 
we  have  the  back  of  every  customer's 
ledger  sheet  carry  a  ruling  on  which  we 
record  all  form  letters  that  are  sent .  Since 
the  ledger  must  be  referred  to,  anyway, 
before  we  start  a  collection  campaign  on 
an  account,  the  safeguard  is  automatic. 

THIS  PRECAUTION  KEEPS  LETTERS 
FROM    GOING    STALE 

Not  only  are  form  letters  recorded  on 
the  back  of  these  but  the  dates  of  dic- 
tated letters  are  also  indicated.  When  an 
account  is  closed  out  and  another  started, 
the  form-letter  numbers  are  transferred 
from  the  old  to  the  new  account,  if  the  old 
account  has  not  been  closed  for  six 
months  or  more.  If  the  old  account  has 
been  closed  more  than  six  months  when 
we  begin  corresponding  on  the  last  or  cur- 
rent account,  we  need  not  refer  to  the  old 
account,  because  we  write  up  a  complete 
new  set  of  forms  every  six  months. 

In  the  one  department  we  use  66 
standardized  letters,  in  loose-leaf  binders. 
These  are  arranged  numerically,  and 
grouped  and  mdexed  so  that  they  can  be 
found  very  easily. 

The  index  covers  two  and  one-half 
sheets  in  the  front  of  the  form-letter  book. 


Following  each  formnumber  is  a  synopsis 
of  the  letter  ;  thus,  once  the  correspond- 
ent is  familiar  with  the  index,  he  can  tell 
at  a  glance  which  form  is  best  suited  for 
the  situation  in  hand. 

Our  method  of  using  form  letters  differs 
in  several  respects  from  methods  com- 
monly used.  Perhaps  the  most  important 
difference  is  that  our  letters  are  arranged 
conveniently  with  an  index  and  synopsis 
of  each  letter  following  the  form-letter 
number.  This  enables  the  correspondent 
to  pick  out  quickly  the  letter  best  suited. 
No  other  concern  that  I  know  of  has 
arranged  its  form  letters  systematically — 
grouped  according  to  the  character  of 
accounts,  indexed,  summarized  and 
bound  in  substantial  binders  that  prevent 
their  mutilation.  Many  concerns  have  a 
bunch  of  such  letters  fastened  together  in 
a  slipshod,  unattractive  manner  ;  not 
without  reason  the  correspondent  often 
feels  that  he  can  dictate  a  letter  in  the 
time  that  it  would  require  to  hunt 
through  the  form  letters  and  pick  out  one 
that  would  meet  his  requirements. 

With  few  exceptions  the  letters  are 
arranged  in  series  of  three  or  foiur.  In 
the  three-letter  series,  the  first  is  nothing 
more  than  a  gentle  reminder  ;  the  second 
is  urgent  ;  and  the  third,  insistent.  Four 
letters  are  used  in  dealing  with  concerns 
whose  standing  and  responsibility  is 
unquestioned,  in  which  event  we  lead  to 
an  ultimatum  a  little  more  gradually. 

Correspondents  and  typists  alike  are 
supplied  with  complete  sets  of  these 
forms.  When  the  correspondent  decides 
upon  the  letter  to  be  written,  he  indicates 
the  number  and  other  required  informa- 
tion on  the  correspondence,  which  then 
goes  to  the  typist.  The  formnumber  with 
any  other  information  required  by  the 
operator  is  noted  on  a  separate  sheet  of 
paper  in  such  a  way  that  it  serves  not 
only  as  a  guide  for  her,  but  also  as  a  per- 
manent ofiice  record.  Therefore,  when 
the  file  is  referred  to  again,  the  corre- 
spondent can  tell  instantly  which  letters 
have  been  written,  and  their  dates,  with- 
out reviewing  the  whole  correspondence 
piece  by  piece. 

If  you  question  the  value  of  such  form 
letters  in  your  business,  just  begin  to 
spend  an  hour  or  two  a  week  for  the  next 
month  reading  some  of  the  letters  of  your 
various  departments.  If  any  great  volume 
of  correspondence  goes  through  a  depart- 
ment I'll  wager  that  you  will  be  con- 
vinced in  a  very  short  time  of  the  need  of 
standardizing  at  least  part  of  this  work. 


554 


APPENDIX 


ABBREVIATIONS 

abst.     .     . 

absiyact 

b/S    . 

.   bill  of  sale 

acct.  or  a/c 

account 

bt.    . 

.   bought 

acct.  sales  or 

bx.   . 

.   box 

a/s     .     . 

account  sales 

A.D.      .     . 

in  the  year  of  our  Lord 

C.    . 

.   Centigrade 

A.D.T.  .     . 

American  District  Tele- 

c. or  cts 

.     .   cents 

graph 

c.c.  . 

.    cubic  centimeter 

advg.    .     . 

advertising 

c.a.f. 

.   cost  and  freight 

advt.     .     . 

advertisement 

cap.. 

.   capital 

a.m.      .     . 

forenoon 

car.  or  I 

I,   .   carat 

amt.      .     . 

amount 

cash. 

.   cashier 

anon.    .     . 

anonymous 

c.b. 

.   cash  book  ;  cash  balance 

ans..     .     . 

answer 

cf.    . 

.    compare 

app..     .     . 

appendix 

chap. 

.   chapter 

ar.  .     .     . 

arrive  ;    arrival  • 

chgd. 

.   charged 

art. .     .     . 

article 

chgs. 

.   charges 

assn.     .     . 

association 

c.h. 

.   courthouse  ;    custom- 

asst.     .     . 

assorted  ;  assistant     - 

house 

att.  .     .     . 

attention  of 

c.i.f. 

.   cost,  insurance,  freight 

av.  .     .     . 

average 

ck.  . 

.   check 

ave.      .     . 

avenue 

CO.    . 

.   company 

avoir.    . 

avoirdupois 

c/o 

.   care  of 

A.I.      .     . 

first  class 

co.d. 

.   cash  on  delivery 

coll.. 

.   collection  ;  collector 

bal.       .     . 

balance 

com. 

.   commission ;  committee; 

b.b.       .     . 

bill  book  :  bank  book 

commercial 

bbl.       .     . 

barrel 

cr.   . 

.   creditor  ;    crate 

bdl.       .     . 

bundle 

const. 

.   consignment 

bds.       .     . 

boards 

CS.  or  c/ 

8     .   cases 

B.C.      .     . 

Before  Christ 

ctge. 

.   cartage 

b/e        .     . 

bill  of  exchange 

cw.o. 

.   cash  with  order 

bgs. 

bags 

cwt. 

.   hundredweight 

bk.  .     .     . 

book 

bkkg.    .     . 

bookkeeping 

d.    . 

.   pence 

bkt.       .     . 

basket 

da.  . 

.   day 

b/1   .     .     . 

bill  of  lading 

d.b. 

.   day  book 

bldg.     .     . 

building 

dep. 

.   deposit 

bik.       .     . 

black 

dept. 

.   department 

bis.  .     .     . 

bales 

dft.  . 

.   draft 

b.o.  or  b/o  . 

buyer's  option 

disc. or d 

isct.  discount 

bot.       .     . 

bottle  ;  bought 

dist.. 

.   district 

bro.  (bros.) . 

brother  (brothers) 

div. 

.   dividend  ;  division 

bu.  .     .     . 

bushel 

do.  . 

.   ditto  (the  same) 

b/p        . 

bills  payable 

dolls. 

.   dollars 

b/r        . 

bills  receivable 

doz.. 

.   dozen 

555 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


dr.  .     . 

.   debtor 

i.b.  . 

.   invoice  book 

D.V.      . 

.   God  willing 

id.    . 

.   the  same 

i.e. 

.      .  that  is 

ea.  . 

.   each 

imp. 

.   improved  ;    imported 

ed.  .     . 

.   editor  ;  edition 

in.   . 

.      .   inch  or  inches 

e.e.  .     . 

.   errors  excepted 

inc. 

.  incorporated 

e.g. 

.   for  example 

ins. . 

.  insurance 

e.  &  o.e. 

.   errors    and    omissions 

inst. 

.  present  month 

excepted 

int.. 

.  interest 

elec. 

.   electric 

inv. 

.  invoice 

Eng.      . 

.   English 

invt. 

.      .   inventory 

entd.     . 

.   entered 

I.O.U. 

.      .   I  owe  you 

et  al.    . 

.   and  others 

etc. .     . 

.   and  so  forth 

jour. 

.   journal 

ex.  .     . 

.   example 

exch.     . 

.   exchange 

kg.. 

.      .  keg 

exp..     . 

.   express  ;       expense  ; 

exported 

lb.    . 

.      .   pound 

Lb.  . 

.   letter  book 

Fahr.     . 

.   Fahrenheit 

1/c   . 

.   letter  of  credit 

f.a.8.     . 

.   free  aside  ship 

I.f.  . 

.   ledger  folio 

fcp. 

.   foolscap 

1.8.    . 

.   place  of  the  seal 

f.i.c.      . 

.  freight,  insurance,   car- 

L.s.d. . 

.   pounds,  shilUng,  pence 

riage 

l.t.  . 

.   long  ton 

I.i.c.p.   . 

.   freight,   insurance,    car- 
riage paid 

ltd.  . 

.   limited 

fig.  .      . 

.  figure 

M.  or  m 

,     .   thousand ;  noon ;  meter 

f.o.b.     . 

.   free  on  board 

minute 

fol.  .      . 

.   folio  ;    following 

max. 

.   maximum 

f.o.r. 

.   free  on  rails 

mdse. 

.   merchandise 

for'd     . 

.   forward 

mem.  o? 

Fr.  .      . 

.   French 

memo 

.     .   memorandum 

!r.    .      . 

.   francs 

mfd. 

.   manufactured 

frt.  Of  fgt. 

.   freight 

mfg. 

.   manufacturing 

fr.    .      . 

.   feet ;    foot ;    franc 

mfr. 

.   manufacturer 

gal.       . 

mgt. 

.   management 

gallon 

min. 

.   minute  ;    minimum 

gen.  oy  gen' 

I  general 

mo. 

.   month 

gi.    .      . 

•   gill 

m.o. 

.   money  order 

g.t.c.     . 

.   good  till  canceled 

ms. .     . 

.   manuscript 

gr.   .      . 

grain  ;    great 

mtg.      . 

.   mortgage 

gro. 

gross 

gr.  gro.. 

great  gross 

nat.       . 

.  natural ;    national 

gro.  wt. . 

gross  weight 

n.b.       . 

.  note  carefully 

guar.     . 

guarantee 

no.  .     . 

.   number 

hdkf.     . 

handkerchief 

o.k. 

.   correct  or  satisfactory 

hf.  .     . 

half 

oz.  .     . 

.   ounce 

hhd.      . 

hogshead 

h.p.       . 

horse  power 

p.     .     . 

•   page 

hr.  .     . 

hour 

p.  &1.  . 

.   profit  and  loss 

ht.   .     . 

height 

payt.     . 

.   payment 

hand.    . 

hundred 

p.c. .     . 

.   per  cent 

pc.  .     . 

.   piece 

ib.  or  ibid. 

in  or  from  the  same  place 

pd.  .     . 

.   paid 

556 


ABBREVIATIONS 


per  .     .     . 

by  ;    thru  ;    a 

St.     .       .       . 

street 

pk.  .     .     . 

peck 

stbt.      .     . 

steamboat 

pkg. 

package 

sten. 

stenographer 

D.m. 

^0.      .     . 

afternoon 

stor. 

storage 

Post  Office 

str.  .     .     . 

steamer 

pr.  . 

pair 

sunds.  . 

sundries 

pref.  or  pfd. 

preferred 

super.    . 

superfine 

prem.    .     . 

;  )remium 

pro  tern.     . 

;  or  the  time  being 

t.     .     .     . 

ton 

prox.     .     . 
P.S..     .     . 

next  month 

t.b.  .     .     . 

trial  balance 

postscript 

t.f.  .     .     . 

till  forbidden 

pt.   .     .     . 

pint 

tc.    .     .     . 

tierces 

tel.  .     .     . 

telegraph  ;    telegram 

qr.  .     .     . 

quarter  ;    quire 

telephone 

qt.   .     .     . 

quart 

tonn.     .     . 

tonnage 

q.v.       . 

which  see 

tr.    .     .     . 

transpose 

trans.    . 

translate  ;  translation 

re    .     .     . 

refer  or  referring ; 
regarding 

treaA    . 

treasurer  ;    treasury 

ree'd     .     . 

received 

ult.  .     .     . 

last  month 

recr.      .     . 

receiver 

U.S.M.  .     . 

United  States  Mail 

rect.  or  rec't 

;  receipt 

ref.  .     .     . 

reference 

ves.       .     . 

vessel 

R.F.D.  .     . 

rural  free  dehvery 

v.g.     .       . 

for  example 

reg.       .     . 

registered 

via  . 

by  way  of 

r.r.  .     .     . 

railroad 

vid.  or  vide 

,  see 

ret.  or  ret 'd 

returned 

vide  infra   . 

see  or  turn  backward 

r.s.y.p.  . 

please  respond 

vide  supra  . 

see  or  turn  forward 

ry.  .     .     . 

railway 

viz. .     .     . 

namely 

vol.       .     . 

volume 

s.     .     .     . 

shillings 

vs.  or  V.      . 

versus,  against 

s.b.  .     .     . 

sales  book 

s/d  .     . 

sight  draft 

IL\   : 

way  bill 

sec.  or  sec'y 

secretary 

week 

sh.  .     .     . 

share 

wks.     .     . 

works 

shipt.    .     . 

shipment 

wt.  .     .     . 

weight 

sic   .     .     . 

thus  or  definitely 

I^o  •           • 

square 

yd.  .     .     . 

yard 

S.S.       .     . 

steamship 

yr.  .     .     . 

year 

Titles  and  Degrees  and  Other  Personal  Designations 


A,B,  or  B,A,  Bachelor  of  Arts 

B.C.L.   . 

Adit.      .      .   Adjutant 

Adjt.  Gen.  .   Adjutant  General 

Adm.     .      .    (Rear)  Admiral 

B.C.S.   . 

Agt.       .      .   Agent 

Aldm.    .      .   Alderman 

B.D.      . 

A.M.  or  M. A.  Master  of  Arts 

B.LL.  or 

Amb.     .      .   Ambassador 

LL.B. 

Asst.      .      .   Assistant 

B.Litt.  or 

Atty.     .      .   Attorney 

Litt.B. 

Bachelor  of  Civil  Law 
Bachelor  of  Commercial 

Law 
Bachelor  of  Commercial 

Science 
Bachelor  of  Divinity 

Bachelor  of  Laws 

Bachelor  of  Letters 


557 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


-^.Pd.  or 

J.P.        . 

Justice  of  the  Peace 

Pd.B. 

.   Bachelor  of  Pedagogy 

Jr.,  jr.,  Jun. 

. 

B.Ph.  or 

or  jun,    . 

Junior 

Ph.B. 

.   Bachelor  of  Philosophy 

Brig.  Gen. 

.   Brigadier  General 

Lieut.    .     . 

Lieutenant 

B.S..     . 

.    Bachelor  of  Science 

Lieut.  Gen.. 

Lieutenant  General 

Lieut.  Gov. 

Lieutenant  Governor 

Capt.     . 

.   Captain 

Litt.D.  .      . 

Doctor  of  Literature 

Capt.  Gen. 

.  Captain  General 

LL.D.    .     . 

Doctor  of  Laws 

C.E..     . 

.   Civil  Engineer 

Chan.    . 

.   Chancellor 

Maj.      .     . 

Major 

Col.       . 

.   Colonel 

Maj.  Gen.  . 

Major  General 

Com.     . 

.   Commander ;     Commo- 

M.C.     .     . 

Member  of  Congress 

dore 

M.D.     .     . 

Doctor  of  Medicine 

Corp.     . 

.   Corporal 

M.E.      .      . 

Mining    or    Mechanical 

Cor.  Sec. 

.   Corresponding  Secretary 

Engineer 

C.P.A.  . 

.   Certified  Public  Accoun- 

Messrs. 

Messieurs 

tant 

Mgr.      .      . 

Manager 

D.C.L.  . 

.   Doctor  of  Civil  Law 

MUe.     .     . 

Mademoiselle 

D.D.      . 

.   Doctor  of  Divinity 

M.P.      .      . 

Member  of  Parliament 

D.D.S.  . 

.   Doctor    of    Dental 

Mr.  .     .      . 

Mister 

Surgery 

Mrs.      .     . 

Mistress 

Dep.      . 

.   Deputy 

Mus.D. 

Doctor  of  Music 

Dr.  .     . 

Doctor 

D.Sc.     . 

Doctor  of  Science 

N.P.      .     . 

Notary  Public 

D.V.M.  or 

M.D.V. 

Doctor     of     Veterinary 

Ph.  D.      . 

.  Doctor  of  Philosophy 

Medicine 

P.M.     .     . 

Postmaster 

Pres.     .     . 

President 

E.E.      . 
Esq.      . 

Electrical  Engineer 
Esquire 

Prof.     .     . 
Prov.     .     . 

Professor 
Provost 

F.G.S.   . 

Fellow  of  the  Geograph- 

Q.M.    .     . 

Quartermaster 

F.R.G.S. 

ical  Society 
Fellow    of    the    Royal 

Ree.  Sec.    . 
Ref.      .     . 

Recording  Secretary 
Referee 

Geographical  Society 

Rev.      .     . 

Reverend 

F.R.S.  . 

Fellow    of    the    Royal 

Rt.  Hon.     . 

Right  Honorable 

Society 

Rt.  Rev.     . 

Right  Reverend 

F.R.S.A. 

Fellow    of    the    Royal 

Society  of  Arts 

Sec.      .     . 

Secretary 

F.S.A.  . 

Fellow    of    the    Society 

Serg.     .     . 

Sergeant 

of  Arts 

Serg.  Maj.  . 

Sergeant  Major 

Sol.       .     . 

Solicitor 

Gen.      . 

General 

Sr.,  sr.,  Sen. 

» 

G.F.A.  . 

General  Freight  Agent 

or  sen.    . 

Senior 

Gov.      . 

Governor 

St.  or  Ste.  . 

Saint 

G.P.A.  . 

General  Passenger  Agent 

Supt.     .     . 

Superintendent 

Hon.     .     . 

Honorable 

Treas.  .     . 

Treasurer 

Insp.     .     . 

Inspector 

Vice  Pres.  . 

Vice  President 

Insp.  Gen.  . 

Inspector  General 

Vise.     .     . 

Viscount 

558 


ABBREVIATIONS 


SIGNS 

a/c  .      . 

.   account          » 
.   at  or  to         ' 

#'. 

.   number,   if  written  be- 

@   .      . 

fore  a  figure  ;  pounds, 

c/o 

.   care  of 

if  written  after  a  figure 

.   cent 

&    . 

.   and 

.   check  mark 
.    dollar 

%  . 

/ 

.   pounds  sterling 
.   per  cent 
.      .   feet 

'^ 

.   inches 

ABBREVIATIONS  OF  NAMES 

OF  STATES 

Ala..     . 

.    Alabama 

Nebr. 

.    Nebraska 

Ariz.     . 

.   Arizona 

Nev. 

.   Nevada 

Ark.      . 

.   Arkansas 

, 

N.H. 
NJ. 

.   New  Hampshire 
,   New  Jersey 

Calif.     . 

.   California 

N.Mex. 

.    New  Mexico 

C.Z..     . 

.   Canal  Zone 

N.Y. 

.    New  York 

Colo.     . 

.   Colorado 

N.C.. 

.   North  Carolina 

Conn.    . 

.    Connecticut 

N.Dak. 

.   North  Dakota 

Del..     . 

.   Delaware 

Okla. 

.   Oklahoma 

D.C.      . 

.   District  of  Columbia 

Pa.  . 

.    Pennsylvania 

Fla. 

.    Florida 

F.I. 

.   Philippine  Islands 

Ga.  .     . 

.   Georgia 

P.R. 

.   Porto  Rico 

111.  .     . 

.   Illinois 

R.I. 

.   Rhode  Island 

Ind..     . 

.   Indiana 

S.C.. 

.   South  Carohna 

Eans.    . 

.   Kansas 

S.Dak. 

.   South  Dakota 

Ky. 

.   Kentucky 

Tenn. 

.   Tennessee 

La.  .     . 

.   Louisiana 

Tex. 

.   Texas 

Md.       . 

Mass.    . 

.   Maryland 

.   Massachusetts 

Vt. 

Va.  . 

.  Vermont 
.   Virginia 

Mich.    . 

.   Michigan 

Wash. 

.   Washington 

Minn.    . 

.   Minnesota 

W.Va. 

.   West  Virginia 

Miss.     . 

.   Mississippi 

Wis. 

.   Wisconsin 

Mo. 
Mont.    . 

.   Missouri 
.   Montana 

Wyo. 

.   Wyoming 

It  is  b 

etter  not  to  abbreviate  the 

following 

in  business  letters  : 

Alaska              Hawaii 

Iowa 

Ohio                 Samoa 

Guam               Idaho 

Maine 

Oregon             Utah 

ARABIC  AND  ROMAN  NU 

MERALS 

Arabic 

Roman         Arabic 

Roman 

Arabic 

Roman       Arabic              Roman 

1 

I                 9      .      . 

IX 

17    . 

XVII         70   .      .   LXX 

2       . 

II              10 

XI 

18   . 

XVIII        80   .      .    LXXX 

3       . 

III            11 

XI 

19   . 

XIX           90   .      .    XC 

4 

IV             12 

XII 

20   . 

XX           100   .      .   C« 

5      . 

V               13 

XIII 

30   . 

XXX       500   .      .   D 

6 

VI             14 

XIV 

40   . 

XL           900   .      .   CM 

7      . 

VII           15 

XV 

50   . 

L            1000   .      .   M 

8      . 

VIII         16 

XVI 

60   .      . 

LX         1900   .      .   MCM 

1  X  is  V  an 

i  V  written  v 

«  C  is  L  and  L  written  [ 

559 


A  BUSINESS  LETTER  LEXICON 


The  following  words  have  been  taken  from  the  large  batch  of  letters  referred 
to  on  page  142.  They  are  by  no  means  all  of  everyday  occurrence.  The 
letters  from  which  they  were  taken  came  from  all  parts  of  the  world  and 
treated  of  subjects  which,  in  some  cases,  are  remote  to  the  day's  work  in  the 
average  American  business  office.  But  the  vast  majority  of  these  words 
should  be  known  by  the  American  office  worker.  They  are  defined  in  their 
business  sense  only.  The  definitions  are  taken,  by  permission,  from  the 
Standard  Dictionary. 


abacus.  A  reckoning  table  or  frame  with 
sliding  balls,  used  in  commercial  houses  in 
Russia  and  the  Far  East  for  making  rapid 
calculations. 

abandoiuuent.  Applied  to  a  ship  that  has 
been  so  badly  damaged  as  to  be  worthless  to 
the  owner,  who  in  consequence  turns  her  over 
to  the  underwriters. 

acceptance.  An  agreement  to  the  terms  of  a 
contract,  draft,  lease,  bill,  subpoena,  or  other 
commercial  or  legal  document.  The  name 
sometimes  given  to  an  accepted  draft  or  check. 

accompt.    Account. 

accredit.    To  furnish  or  send  with  credentials. 

acknowledgment.  An  admission  made  before 
a  notary  or  other  legal  officer.  A  letter  verifying 
an  order  received.  Recognition  of  and  satis- 
faction with  a  signature. 

actuary.  One  who  specializes  in  accounts  and 
statistics,  especially  in  connection  with  insurance 
matters. 

addressograph.  This  word  is  the  trade  name 
used  to  indicate  a  machine  for  printing  addresses. 
A  trade  name. 

adjudicate.     To  determine  judicially. 

adjuster.  One  who  settles  accoimts.  One 
who  averages  different  interests  in  any 
adventure. 

administrator.  One  who  administers,  especi- 
ally one  who  directs  the  estate  of  an  intestate. 

administratrix.     Feminine  for  administrator. 

advocate.  An  intercessor  or  defender,  especi- 
ally in  legal  disputes. 

affldavit.  A  voluntary  sworn  declaration  in 
writing,  made  before  a  notary,  or  other  competent 
authority. 

affreight.  To  charter,  as  a  vessel,  for  carrying 
goods. 

agent.  One  who  acts  for  another ;  that 
which  acts  for  another. 

agreement.  Mutual  assent ;  a  contract  of 
such  assent  made  out  according  to  legal 
convention. 

aggregate.    An  entire  amount. 

alderman.  A  member  of  a  municipal  legisla- 
tive body  who  exercises  certain  judicial  functions. 

alimony.  Allowance  made  to  a  woman,  by 
order  of  court,  from  her  husband's  estate  or 
income  for  her  support,  after  her  divorce  or 
separation  from  him. 

amanuensis.  One  who  copies  manuscript  or 
takes  dictation  ;   a  secretary. 


amortize.  To  sell  and  convey  land  or  other 
property  to  a  corporation  having  perpetual 
possession.  To  extinguish  a  debt  by  means  of 
a  sinking  fimd. 

annuitant.  One  who  is  paid  an  annual  income 
or  allowance,  as  by  a  life  insurance  on  the 
compliance  with  certain  financial  arrangements. 

annuity.     An  annual  allowance  or  income. 

antedate.  To  put  on  any  commercial  paper, 
such  as  checks  or  bills,  a  date  prior  to  the  one 
on  which  it  was  really  written. 

appanage.  A  dependent  territory  or  property. 
Land  assigned  by  a  king  for  the  support  of  his 
younger  sons.  Public  allowance  for  a  prince 
of  a  reigning  house. 

appeal.  To  take  a  case  to  a  higher  authority, 
as  to  a  higher  court. 

appelate.  Pertaining  to  or  having  jurisdiction 
over  appeals. 

appellant.  The  party  that  appeals  from  a 
lower  to  a  higher  court  or  tribunal. 

appellee.  One  against  whom  an  appeal  is 
taken  :    a  defendant. 

appraiser.  One  legally  authorized  to  evaluate 
property  of  any  kind. 

apprentice.  One  bound  by  indentvure  to  serve 
another  in  order  to  learn  a  trade  or  business. 

appropriation.  Money  set  aside  for  special 
use. 

arbiter.  One  chosen  or  appointed  as  judge, 
as  in  a  dispute. 

arbitrage.  The  simultaneous  buying  and 
selling  of  the  same  thing,  as  stocks  and  bonds, 
in  different  markets,  in  order  to  profit  by  the 
difference  between  the  prices  ruling  in  such 
markets.    Arbitration. 

arbitrament.  A  decision  by  arbitration  or  by 
an  arbiter. 

arbitration.  The  amicable  settlement  of  dis- 
pute between  two  parties  by  means  of  a  third 
who  acts  as  arbiter  or  arbitrator.  Disputes 
between  capital  and  labor  are  frequently  settled 
by  arbitration, 

archive.  A  depository  for  documents.  A 
public  document  or  record. 

are.  The  fimdamental  unit  of  surface  in  the 
metric  system:  100  square  meters,  or  119.38 
square  yards. 

argosy.  Formerly,  a  large,  richly  laden  ship 
or  fleet  of  ships. 

arraignment.  An  accusation  made  in  formal 
legal  style. 


561 


36— (429) 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


arret.  An  arrest  or  seizure.  An  authoritative 
decree  or  edict. 

assay.  Thie  scientific  testing  of  an  alloy  or 
ore  for  valuable  metal.  The  examining  of 
weights  and  measures. 

assess.  A  tax.  To  value  for  taxation.  To 
levy  a  tax  upon  a  person  or  a  property. 

assets.  Property  that  may  be  pledged  for  the 
payment  of  debts  or  legacies. 

assignee.  One  to  whom  property  has  been 
assigned  in  trust ;  an  agent  or  trustee. 

assignment.  The  transfer  of  property,  or  the 
instrument  or  writing  of  transfer. 

assize.  A  session  of  court ;  the  court  itself  ; 
a  trial  or  inquest  by  jury.  A  statute  or 
ordinance.     A  standard  of  price  or  weight. 

assurance.  The  name  is  frequently  used  in 
England  to  indicate  insurance. 

attach.  To  take  and  hold,  as  of  property,  by 
legal  process,  especially  for  debt. 

attach^.  A  subordinate  member  of  a  diplo- 
matic embassy ;  one  connected  with  or  attached 
to. 

attorney.    Lawyer. 

auction.  A  public  sale  of  property  to  the 
highest  bidder. 

audit.  To  examine,  adjust,  and  certify 
accounts  ofi&cially  periodically. 

bagman.  The  name  sometimes  given  in 
England  to  a  commercial  traveler. 

balL  The  security  or  guarantee  given  by 
some  one  for  the  debt  or  default  of  another. 

bailiff.  A  sheriff's  deputy  or  a  local 
magistrate. 

bailiwick.     The  office  or  district  of  a  bailiff. 

balance.  To  adjust  accoimts.  An  equality 
between  the  debit  and  credit  totals  of  an 
account, 

bale.  A  package  of.  bulky  goods,  wired, 
corded,  or  otherwise  prepared  for  shipment. 

ballast.  Any  heavy  material  placed  in  the 
hold  of  a  vessel  or  any  other  conveyance  in 
order  to  steady  it. 

ban.  An  official  proclamation,  especially  one 
regarding  trade  in  time  of  war. 

bank.  An  institution  that  lends,  borrows, 
issues,  and  cares  for  money. 

bankniptcy.  A  condition  of  insolvency  in 
which  a  person's  effects  and  property  become 
liable  to  administration  and  distribution  for  the 
benefit  of  all  creditors. 

bank-note.  A  promissory  note  issued  by  a 
banking  institution  and  payable  on  demand  at 
the  bank  of  issue. 

bar.  Lawyers  collectively  considered ;  the 
legal  profession. 

bargain.  To  trade  or  negotiate.  A  united 
agreement  between  or  among  people.  An 
article  of  merchandise,  or  articles  of  merchandise, 
procured  for  imusually  low  price,  or  on  imusually 
reasonable  terms. 

barge.     A  flat-bottom  freight  boat. 

bark.     Formerly,  a  three-masted  vessel. 

barratry.  The  acceptance  of  a  bribe  by  a 
judge.  A  wilful  or  unlawful  act  committed  by 
the  captain  or  the  crew  of  a  ship  whereby  the 
owners  suffer  loss  or  injury. 

barretry.  The  offense  of  causing  lawsuits  by 
means  of  spreading  false  rumors  and  instigating 
people  to  quarrel. 


barrister.  In  England,  an  advocate  who 
argues  cases  in  court. 

barter.  Trade  by  exchange  of  commodities. 
A  commodity  given  in  exchange. 

battels.  A  term  used  at  Oxford  University 
(and  other  English  institutions)  to  indicate  a 
student's  weekly  or  monthly  account  for  board 
and  lodging  in  his  residence  hall. 

bazaar.  A  shop  for  the  sale  of  fancy  wares. 
A  charity  sale.     An  oriental  market-place. 

beadle.     The  crier  or  messenger  of  a  court. 

bear.  One  who  seeks  to  depress  prices 
especially  of  stocks,  or  who  sells  in  the  belief 
that  there  is  likely  to  be  a  decline  in  prices. 

bearer.  A  person  who  exercises  the  right  of 
presenting  a  check  and  drawing  money  in  the 
name  of  some  other  person  specifically  indicated 
on  the  check. 

beat.  Newspaper  slang  for  priority  in  the 
publication  of  news. 

bencher.  A  senior  member  of  the  EngUsh 
bar. 

beneficiary.  A  recipient  of  charitable  privilege 
or  of  any  benefit  or  profit,  such  as  insurance 
benefits. 

bequeath.    To  give  by  will. 

bequest.  The  act  of  bequeathing  or  that 
which  is  bequeathed. 

bid.  The  statement  of  the  price  for  which 
one  will  take  a  contract  to  perform  a  service. 
To  offer  or  estimate. 

bill.  The  statement  of  an  account  or  of  money 
due.  A  bank  or  government  note.  A  paper 
filed  in  court  calling  for  some  specific  action. 

blackmail.  Extortion  by  threats  or 
accusation. 

blotter.  A  first  record  book  from  which 
entries  are  to  be  blotted  on  transference  to 
permanent  record  books. 

bogus.     Coimterfeit ;   spurious. 

bonanza.  A  rich  mine,  vein,  or  find  of  ore. 
A  profitable  speculation. 

bond.  Bail  or  surety.  An  interest-bearing 
debt  certificate. 

bonded.  Held  in  bond  for  payment  of  duties. 
Secured  by  bonds,  as  a  debt. 

bonus.  A  gratuity  to  employees.  The  extra 
dividend  sometimes  allotted  to  shareholders  of 
a  company.  Something  given  over  and  above 
what  is  expected  or  strictly  due. 

boodle.     American  slang  for  money. 

booking.  The  purchasing  of  a  passage  ticket, 
or  arranging  for  rooms  at  a  hotel,  or  seats  at  a 
theater.     To  register. 

boom.  To  advertise  energetically.  Sudden 
activity  or  prosperity. 

boot.  To  profit.  Something  given  in  excess 
to  a  barter  agreement.  Advantage  over  and 
above  a  stipulated  amount. 

borrow.     To  obtain  on  promise  of  return. 

bottom.  A  vessel.  Specifically,  that  part  o 
a  ship  below  the  water  line. 

bounty.  Liberality.  A  grant  or  allowance 
made  without  obligation,  as  from  a  government 
for  fisheries,  manufactures,  etc. 

bourse.  An  exchange  or  money-market ;  a 
stock  or  produce  exchange. 

boycott.  A  combined  refusal  to  deal  with  a 
person  or  a  firm. 

brand.  A  mark  of  distinction  or  trademark 
used  on  marketable  or  branded  goods. 


562 


A  BUSINESS   LETTER  LEXICON 


breach.  A  violation  of  legal  or  contract 
obligation. 

break.  To  make  bankrupt ;  to  incapacitate 
financially. 

breakage.  Allowance  made  for  articles 
broken  in  transportation.     The  articles  broken. 

brief.     A  lawyer's  outline  or  epitome  of  a  case. 

brigantine.  A  two-masted,  square-rigged 
vessel. 

brocage.     Brokerage. 

broker.  One  who  buys  and  sells  for  another 
on  commission,  without  himself  having  posses- 
sion of  the  goods.  A  middleman  between  buyer 
and  seller. 

brokerage.  The  business  or  the  commission 
of  a  broker. 

bulk.  The  whole  space  in  a  ship's  hold  for 
storing  goods  ;   ship's  cargo. 

bull.  A  dealer  who  seeks  or  expects  higher 
prices,  and  manipulates  his  holdings,  as  of 
stocks,  accordingly. 

bullion.  Gold  or  silver  uncoined  or  in  mass, 
as  in  bars,  plates,  or  the  like. 

bumbailiff.  In  England,  a  sheriff's  deputy 
whose  duties  are  to  levy  and  attach. 

burden.  Load.  The  carrying  capacity  of  a 
vessel. 

bursar.  A  treasurer,  especially  of  an 
educational  or  other  institution. 

buyer.  One  who  buys  ;  especially  one  who 
buys  stock  for  departments  in  large  retail  or 
wholesale  estabhshments. 

call.  An  assessment  or  demand.  A  contract 
requiring,  in  consideration  of  money  paid,  the 
delivery  of  some  article  named,  as  stocks,  at  a 
certain  price. 

campaign.  A  series  of  connected  commercial 
operations  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  a 
commodity  or  increasing  sales,  as  an  advertising 
or  sales  campaign. 

capias.  A  judicial  writ  issued  to  a  sheriff 
commanding  him  to  take  and  hold  in  custody 
a  person  therein  named. 

capital.  The  amount  of  money  invested  in  a 
business.  Fixed  capital  refers  to  plant  and 
fixtures  ;  circulating  capital,  to  wages  and  other 
current  expenses  ;  authorized  or  registered 
capital  means  the  capital  set  aside  by  enactment 
for  purposes  of  capitahzation. 

capitulate.  To  surrender  on  stipulated  terms. 
To  draw  up  articles  of  agreement. 

canvass.     To  solicit  sales,  as  a  book  canvasser. 

capacity.  The  cubic  carrying  space  or  power 
of  a  vehicle  of  transportation. 

capital.  Wealth  employed  in  or  available  for 
production. 

carat.  A  twenty-fourth  part :  used  to  express 
the  proportion  of  gold  in  an  alloy  ;  thus,  gold 
18  carats  fine  is  18/24  or  |  pure. 

career.    A  prison  or  other  place  of  confinement. 

carman.     One  who  drives  a  car  or  cart. 

carriage.  Transportation  ;  the  charge  made 
for  transportation. 

carrier.  Any  conveyance  in  which  goods  are 
carried,  such  as  truck,  cart,  car,  ship.  A  company 
or  an  individual  that  carries  goods  for  others  at 
stipulated  prices. 

carry.  To  deliver.  To  keep  on  hand  or  in 
stock. 

cartage.    The  act  or  the  cost  of  carting. 


cartel.     A  written  official  agreement. 

cash.     Money  in  hand.    Immediate  payment 

cash-book.  A  book  in  which  cash  accounts 
are  kept. 

cashier.  One  in  charge  of  money  in  a  bank 
or  any  other  business  institution.  A  custodian 
of  money  ;   a  cashkeeper  or  paymaster. 

cassation.  The  abrogation  or  making  null  of 
a  judgment  or  agreement. 

caveat.  A  formal  notification  or  caution 
issued  to  a  court  or  an  officer,  not  to  take  a 
certain  step  till  the  notifier  is  heard  from  further. 
A  description  of  an  invention  that  is  not 
perfected,  filed  in  the  Patent  Office. 

Centigrade.  Graduated  to  a  scale  of  one 
hundred.  According  to  the  Centigrade  ther- 
mometer, used  in  European  countries,  the 
freezing  point  of  water  is  zero  and  its  boiling 
point  100  degrees. 

certify.  To  mark  or  stamp,  attesting  the 
worth  and  genuineness  of  a  paper.  A  bank 
official  may  certify  that  a  check  is  genuine  and 
thus  guarantee  its  payment. 

certiorari.  A  writ  from  a  superior  to  an 
inferior  court  directing  a  certified  record  of  its 
proceedings  in  a  designated  case  be  sent  up  for 
review. 

cession.  An  assignment  of  property  to 
creditors. 

change.  Small  money.  A  place  for  the 
general  transaction  of  financial  matters. 

charge.  Debit.  To  record  as  due  from.  To 
load  or  fill. 

charter.  A  document  granting  special  rights 
or  privileges.  A  lease,  as  of  vessels  or  other 
property.     A  contract. 

chattels.  Articles  of  personal  property, 
usually  movable  personal  property. 

check.  A  written  order  for  money  drawn 
upon  a  bank  or  banker.  A  stay  or  stoppage,  as 
a  check  upon  waste. 

chenille.  A  soft  fluffy  cord  of  cotton,  wool 
etc.,  used  for  fringes. 

cheviot.  A  cloth  made  from  the  wool  of  sheep 
bred  in  the  Cheviot  Hills,  between  England  and 
Scotland. 

chiffon.  A  very  thin  gauze  used  for  feminine 
apparel. 

chintz.  A  cotton  fabric  usually  printed  with 
designs  of  flowers. 

cipher.     A  code  ;   a  method  of  secret  writing. 

claimant.  One  who  demands  something  on 
the  ground  of  right. 

clearance.  A  permit  issued  by  a  custom  house 
official  indicating  that  a  vessel  has  met  all  port 
obligations  and  is  privileged  to  sail. 

clerical.     Pertaining  to  clerks  and  their  work. 

clientele.  A  body  of  clients  or  adherents  or 
patrons  ;  a  following. 

closure.  A  proceeding  to  stop  a  debate  in  a 
deliberative  body,  in  order  to  secure  a  prompt 
vote. 

code.  A  system  of  signals,  words,  or  char- 
acters, with  arbitrary  meanings,  used  to  com- 
municate intelligence,  usually  secret,  or  for 
purposes  of  economy. 

coffin.  The  term  applied  to  unseaworthy 
ships,  in  seamanship  slang. 

coinage.  The  making  of  coin  or  the  charge 
therefor.  The  introduction  of  a  new  word  into 
a  language. 


563 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


colporteur.  A  salesman  of  Bibles  and  other 
religious  books  and  periodicals. 

commission.  An  agency.  The  compensation 
of  an  agent.  A  body  appointed  to  do  a  special 
work  or  make  a  special  investigation. 

commodity.  A  movable  article  of  value  that 
is  bought  and  sold. 

complainant.  One  who  enters  complaint  or 
accusation. 

comprador.  A  native  agent  and  intermediary 
in  a  business  house. 

comptroller  (controller).  An  officer  in  charge 
of  all  business  accounts  of  a  firm,  or  of  a 
municipality. 

concern.     A  business  establishment. 

concession.  A  government,  or  other,  grant  of 
special  privilege,  usually  in  the  matter  of  land 
or  minerals. 

concessionaire.  One  who  holds  rights  of 
concession. 

consignee.  A  person  to  whom  property  has 
been  or  js  to  be  delivered.  One  to  whom  goods 
are  sent. 

consigner.     One  who  sends  goods. 

consignment.     Goods  or  merchandise  sent. 

consolidation.  To  unite,  as  in  the  case  of  two 
or  more  business  houses  becoming  one. 

consul.  A  government  officer  appointed  to  a 
place  in  a  foreign  country  to  look  after 
commercial  and  other  interests  in  that  place. 

contraband.  Goods  prohibited  or  excluded 
from  a  certain  place,  as  a  result  of  war. 

contract.  A  formal  agreement,  or  the  writing 
containing  it. 

convey.  To  transfer  the  title  to  or  of,  as  real 
estate. 

convoy.  A  protective  force  ;  also  the  act  of 
protecting. 

cooper.    One  who  makes  casks  and  barrels. 

cooperation.  Working  for  the  interests  of  all 
in  an  industrial  enterprise.  The  profit-sharing 
plan  in  business  and  industry.  A  movement 
whereby  producers,  especially  farmers,  sell  their 
products  direct  to  the  customer,  without  the 
services  of  dealers  or  middlemen. 

coparcener.     One  of  two  or  more  co-heirs. 

copartnership.  The  voluntary  combination  of 
two  or  more  individuals  or  organizations  for 
mutual  helpfulness  in  a  business  enterprise  ;  a 
partnership. 

copyright.  The  exclusive  right  secured  by 
law  to  artists  and  authors  to  publish  and  dispose 
of  their  several  works  for  a  limited  time.  The 
term  of  copyright  is  twenty-eight  years,  with 
privilege  of  renewal. 

cordage.  Ropes  and  cords  in  the  rigging  of  a 
ship. 

corduroy.  A  thick  and  durable  cotton  stuff, 
corded  or  ribbed. 

comer.  The  complete  purchase,  by  a  syndi- 
cate or  an  individual,  of  the  whole  of  production 
or  line  of  goods  or  stock,  and  the  consequent 
control  of  the  selling  process. 

corporation.  A  body  of  persons  legally  associ- 
ated for  the  management  and  transaction  of 
business. 

COSinage.  Collateral  relationship  or  kindred 
by  blood. 

cost.  The  price  paid  for  anj^hing  ;  outlay  ; 
expense  ;  charge.  The  charges  fixed  by  law  or 
allowed  by  a  court  in  a  lawsuit. 


costermonger.  A  street  hawker  of  vegetables 
fruit,  etc. 

council.     A  meeting. 

counsel.     A  lawyer,  or  lawyers.     Advice. 

countermand.    To  revoke,  or  recall,  as  an  order. 

countersign.  To  authenticate  by  means  of 
an  additional  signature. 

counting-house.  An  office  for  transacting  the 
business  of  a  mercantile  or  other  establishment. 

coupon.  A  detachable  portion  of  a  bond, 
ticket,  advertisement,  etc.,  certifying  something, 
such  as  interest  due,  or  extending  some  privilege. 

courier.     A  messenger. 

covenant.     A  written  agreement. 

cover.  An  amount  of  money  deposited  in  a 
bank  to  meet  some  liability  or  as  security 
against  a  future  speculation. 

crash.  A  coarse  linen  fabric  used  for  toweling, 
stair  covering,  etc. 

credential.  A  letter  or  certificate  showing 
one's  authority  or  claim  to  confidence. 

credit.  The  amount  in  one's  favor,  as  at  a 
bank,  or  the  entry  or  record  of  it.  Reputation 
for  solvency  and  probity. 

cretonne.  An  unglazed  cotton  fabric,  printed 
on  one  side  in  colored  patterns. 

curator.  One  in  charge  of  a  museum  or 
library. 

custom.  Business  support  or  patronage.  A 
tariff  or  duty  assessed  by  law. 

cut.  An  engraved  block  or  piece  of  metal,  or 
the  impression  from  it,  used  for  reproducing 
pictures  in  books  and  other  publications. 

damage.  Money  recovered  for  a  wrong  or  a 
damage. 

data.     Known,  assumed,  or  conceded  facts. 

day-book.  A  book  in  which  transactions  are 
recorded  in  the  order  of  their  taking  place. 

deadweight.  In  shipping,  freight  charged  for 
by  weight  instead  of  by  bulk.  In  railway 
transportation,  weight  of  rolling  stock  as  distin- 
guished from  its  load,  which  is  called  liveweight. 

deal.  A  business  arrangement.  Trade  with 
another  in  a  commodity. 

debark.    To  go  ashore  from  a  vessel. 

debenture.  An  acknowledgment  of  debt, 
making  specific  provision  for  repayment.  A 
loan  with  interest  indicated.  A  government  pay 
order. 

debit.  To  enter  on  the  left  or  debtor  side  of 
an  account.  The  recording  of  debt.  Something 
owed. 

decedent.     A  person  deceased. 

decimate  To  destroy  one  out  of  every  ten, 
or  to  reduce  a  large  part  of. 

declaration.  A  detailed  statement  of  dutiable 
goods  with  valuation,  made  out  by  the  owner  or 
agent  on  arrival  at  port. 

decrement.    Decrease  or  loss. 

deed.  A  document  indicating  transfer  of  real 
estate  title,  or  actual  proof  of  the  ownership  of 
real  estate.  A  written  instrument  of  conveyance. 

defalcation.  A  deficit.  A  fraudulent 
appropriation  of  money  held  in  trust. 

defaulter.  One  who  fails  to  appear  in  court. 
One  who  fails  to  account  for  trust  money. 

defeasance.  An  annulment.  The  making  null 
and  void. 

defendant  A  person  against  whom  a  legal 
action  is  brought. 


564 


A  BUSINESS  LETTER  LEXICON 


deficit.     A  shortage  ;   a  deficiency  in  amount. 

defraud.    To  cheat ;    to  swindle. 

defray.     To  pay  or  meet  expense. 

defunct.     Extinct ;    no  longer  active. 

delicatessen.  Table  delicacies.  The  shop 
where  they  are  sold. 

delinquent.  One  who  fails  to  meet  obligations, 
as  the  payment  of  interest  or  taxes. 

demand.  An  actionable  claim.  An  insistent 
request  for  payment  of  money  due. 

demise.  To  bestow  by  will.  To  convey  for 
life  or  for  a  term  of  years.     Lease. 

demonetize.  To  melt  coin  back  into  crude 
metal.  To  divest  of  the  character  of  standard 
money. 

demurrage.  A  charge  made  by  a  carrier 
company  for  failure  to  get  goods  unloaded  from 
cars  or  ships  on  specified  contract  time. 

demurrer.  A  pleading  in  law  which  denies 
that  vahd  cause  for  action  exists. 

denim.  A  colored,  twilled  cotton  goods,  used 
largely  for  hangings,  furniture  covering,  and  the 
like. 

deponent.     One  who  gives  written  testimony. 

deportation.  Sending  a  person  or  commodity 
back  to  point  of  original  departure. 

depose.     To  bear  witness  ;   to  give  testimony. 

deposit.  An  amount  paid  on  a  bill  as  an 
earnest  of  good  faith.  Money  placed  in  a 
financial  institution. 

depositary.  One  to  whom  goods  are  bailed, 
to  be  held  without  recompense.  Pertaining  to 
deposits.  A  person  intrusted  with  anything  of 
value.  Also,  depository  in  the  sense  of 
storehouse. 

deposition.  The  written  testimony  of  a  sworn 
witness. 

depository.  A  place  where  anything  is 
dejjosited. 

depot.     A  station  ;    a  warehouse. 

depreciation.   Reduction  in  value,  as  of  stocks. 

deputy.  A  person  appointed  to  act  for  another. 

detinue.  An  action  to  recover  personal 
property  that  is  wrongfully  detained. 

development.  A  property  which,  by  the 
expenditure  of  money,  is  improved  and  brought 
up  to  a  high  standard  of  efficiency  or  salability. 

dimity.  A  stout  cotton  goods  with  raised 
stripes  or  patterns  ;  a  light,  fine,  white  cotton 
dress  goods. 

directorate.    A  body  of  directors. 

disburse.     To  pay  out. 

discount.  A  deduction  made  on  the  price  of 
goods  in  consideration  of  prompt  or  cash 
payment. 

disembark  (debark).  To  land,  as  from  a 
steamer. 

disfranchise.  To  withdraw  privilege  of  fran- 
chise. To  deprive  of  a  citizen's  privilege,  as 
the  ballot. 

diSionor.  Refusal,  perhaps  because  of 
inability,  to  meet  an  obligation,  such  as  a  draft 
or  check  when  due  or  when  presented  for 
acceptance. 

displacement.  The  weight  of  water  displaced 
by  a  body,  such  as  a  ship  floating  in  it,  this 
weight  being  equal  to  the  weight  of  the  body. 

display.  To  arrange  goods,  as  in  a  window  or 
on  a  counter,  for  an  advantageous  showing. 

dividend.  The  interest  paid  on  an  invest- 
ment :     an    allotment    to   stockholders   in    the 


payment  of  interest  or  the  distribution  of 
bonuses. 

dockage.  Provision  for  docking.  The  act 
of  docking.  The  charge  made  for  docking 
privileges. 

docket.  A  list  of  items  for  immediate  atten- 
tion. The  place  on  or  at  which  such  list  is 
posted.  A  custom  house  warrant  or  certificate 
for  the  payment  of  necessary  duties. 

dower.  A  widow's  life  portion,  usually  one 
third  of  her  husband's  property.  ' 

dowry.  The  property  a  wife  brings  to  her 
husband  by  marriage. 

draft.  A  check  drawn  by  one  bank  on  another, 
or  an  authorized  order  for  drawing  money 
from  a  fund. 

drawee.  The  one  upon  whom  an  order  for 
the  payment  of  money  is  drawn. 

drawer.  One  who  draws  a  bill  of  exchange, 
check,  money-order,  and  the  like. 

drayage.  The  charge  for  the  transportation 
of  goods  by  dray  ;  the  act  of  carrying  goods  by 
dray. 

drygoods.  Textile  fabrics,  as  distinguished 
from  groceries,  hardware,  etc. 

due-biU.  A  written  acknowledgment  of 
indebtedness. 

dun.  A  demand  for  payment.  To  demand 
payment. 

duplicator.  An  ofSce  machine  for  nmning  off 
many  copies  of  a  piece  of  writing  after  it  has 
been  written  on  a  prepared  sheet. 

duty.  A  fee  charged  on  exports  and  imports, 
in  accordance  to  the  tariff  laws  of  a  coimtry, 
or  according  to  international  regulations  and 
agreements.  An  excise  fee  on  domestic  goods 
or  on  goods  of  domestic  manufactiure  for 
domestic  consumption,  such  as  beer,  spirits, 
tobacco,  etc. 

effects.     Movable  goods  or  chattels. 

embargo.  The  suspension  of  commercial 
activity  by  government  order ;  the  detention 
of  ships  in  harbor  and  the  prohibition  of  foreign 
ships  from  entrance  ;  the  seizure  of  goods  by 
government  action. 

embark.    To  put  or  go  aboard  a  vessel. 

emigrant.  One  who  leaves  a  country  to  go 
to  another  country. 

emolument.      Remuneration  ;    profit ;    gain 
advantage. 

employee.    0%e  who  works  for  another. 

emporium.     A  bazaar  or  popular  market. 

encyclical.  Intended  for  general  circulation, 
as  circular  letters. 

endorse.  To  approve.  To  sign  one's  name 
on  the  back  of  a  check,  or  to  make  over  to 
another,  by  means  of  endorsement,  a  check  or 
other  business  paper. 

endowment.  Money  or  property  given  for 
the  permanent  use  of  an  institution  or  for  the 
promotion  of  a  special  object. 

enfeoff.  To  sell  or  give  and  convey  lands  in 
fee  to. 

enfranchise.     To  endow  with  some  right. 

enioin.  To  place  a  command  or  injunction  upon. 

enterprise.  Energy  and  initiative  in  affairs, 
business  or  other.  Any  projected  plan  or 
undertaking. 

entrepot.  A  depot  or  storehouse  or  other 
commercial  center  of  distribution. 


565 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


equable.     Even,  steady,  uniform. 

equate.    To  make  equal. 

equitable.  Fair,  just,  impartially  divided  or 
distributed. 

equity.  Value  in  excess  of  a  mortgage.  A 
court  in  which  suits  based  on  equitable  rights 
may  be  brought. 

essoin.  Excuse  for  nonappearance,  as  in  a 
court  ;    the  person  so  excused. 

estimate.  To  assign  a  general  value  to.  A 
valuation  based  upon  incomplete  or  complete 
knowledge  of  the  thing  evaluated.  A  bid  or 
statement  of  terms  upon  which  certain  work 
will  be  undertaken. 

estoppel.  An  act  or  admission  that  cannot 
legally  be  denied.  The  plea  by  which  such  an 
act  or  admission  is  alleged. 

evidence.  Testimony.  That  by  means  of 
which  a  fact  is  established. 

excelsior.  Long,  fine  wood  shavings  used  for 
packing  fragile  materials.  The  motto  of  New 
York  State,  meaning,  "  Still  higher ;  ever 
upward." 

exchange.  A  place  where  merchants  and 
financiers  make  exchanges,  as  of  commodities 
or  securities.  The  act  of  trading  or  buying  and 
selling.  The  rate  at  which  one  kind  of  money 
is  converted  into  another.  The  discharge  of 
debts  by  means  other  than  money,  the  disposal 
of  goods  for  goods  of  equivalent  value. 

exchequer.  The  treasury  of  a  state  ;  finances 
or  pecuniary  resources. 

excise.  A  tax  levied  upon  commodities, 
especially  liquors. 

execute.  To  carry  out  or  complete,  as  of 
business  terms  or  legal  proceedings. 

executor.  A  person  named  in  the  will  of 
another  to  carry  out  the  terms  of  a  will,  or  a 
person  named  by  a  court  to  carry  out  the  terms 
of  a  will. 

exorbitant.  Beyond  customary  and  proper 
limit  in  price  asked  for  goods  or  terms  demanded 
in  agreements. 

export.  That  which  is  taken  from  one  country 
into  another. 

expose.  A  revelation,  usually  of  an  embar- 
rassing nature,  as  of  misappropriation  of 
funds. 

exprorriate.  To  take  away  goods  or  property 
from  another. 

extension.  The  extra  time  allowed  a  debtor 
for  the  payment  of  a  debt.        « 

extent.  A  writ  against  the  person,  land,  or 
goods  of  certain  debtors. 

extradition.  The  surrender  of  an  accused 
person  by  one  government  to  the  iustice  of 
another  government. 

fabric.  A  woven,  felted,  or  knitted  material, 
such  as  felt  or  cloth.  Texture.  Workmanship. 
Quality. 

fabricant.    One  who  makes  or  manufactures. 

fabricate.  To  make  or  manufacture.  To 
gather  many  different  parts  from  various  sources 
and  put  together  into  a  workable  whole. 

factor.    An  agent  or  commission  merchant. 

factorage.  A  factor's  commission.  The 
conduct  of  a  factor's  business. 

factotum.     A  man  of  all  work. 

Fahrenheit.  Designating  that  thermometric 
scale  in  which  the  freezing  point  is  32  degrees, 


and  the  boiling  point  212  degrees.  Used  in 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States. 

fee.  A  payment  or  a  charge  for  special 
privilege.     An  estate  of  inheritance. 

felony.     A  grave  crime. 

ferriage.  Conveyance  by  ferry.  The  fee 
charged  for  ferrying. 

feud.  Vindictive  strife  between  clans  or 
families,  or  between  old,  established, corporations. 

fiduciary.  Confidential ;  having  reference  to 
a  position  of  trust  and  confidence. 

field.  The  term  used  in  business  to  indicate 
the  territory  covered  or  assigned  to  a  commercial 
traveler,  who  is  accordingly  called  a  field-man. 
Any  zone  of  activity. 

file.  A  collection  of  papers  and  documents 
arranged  systematically  for  ready  reference. 

fUibuster.  To  delay  legislative  action  of  any 
kind  by  dilatory  tactics  ;  the  deliberate  blocking 
of  legislation. 

finance.  The  science  of  the  use  of  money 
and  monetary  affairs  —  taxes,  bonds,  funds, 
incomes,  etc. 

fine.  A  pecuniary  penalty  f^r  some  offense 
or  transgression  of  the  law. 

firkin.  A  wooden  vessel  or  measure,  about 
one  fourth  of  a  barrel. 

firm.  A  business  house,  or  the  combination 
of  two  or  more  persons  into  a  partnership  for 
the  purpose  of  conducting  a  commercial, 
industrial,  or  financial  enterprise. 

first-rate.  Said  of  goods  of  the  best  quality 
and  character. 

fiscal.  Relating  to  the  treasury  or  the  finances 
of  a  firm.     The  fiscal  year  is  the  financial  year. 

fixtures.  Articles  and  fiu-nishings  that  are 
immovable,  or  that  cannot  be  removed  without 
the  payment  of  tax  or  damage.  Appointments 
in  the  calendar  of  a  business  man.     Schedules. 

fleshmonger.    A  butcher. 

float.  To  establish  a  market  for.  To  secure 
support  or  patronage.     To  circulate. 

floorage.     Floor  space  or  area. 

floor-walker.  In  a  department  shop,  ojie 
who  oversees  the  employees  on  a  floor  or~  a 
section  of  it. 

folio.  A  page  of  manuscript  containing  a 
regulation  number  of  words,  usually  from  72 
to  100.  Two  opposite  pages  numbered  alike. 
A  book  of  large  size. 

foolscap.  A  size  of  writing  paper  about 
13  X  8  inches  as  folded. 

foot.  To  add  a  column  of  figures  and  place 
sum  at  bottom  or  foot. 

footing.  The  addition  of  a  column  of  figures 
and  the  sum  of  such  addition.  The  character 
of  financial  foundation  on  which  a  business  is 
established. 

forage.     Food  for  cattle  and  horses. 

foreclose.  To  bar  by  judicial  decision  the 
right  to  redeem  mortgaged  property.  | 

foreman.  The  head  man  overseeing  a  number 
of  workmen,  as  in  a  factory. 

forensic.  Relating  to  public  disputation,  as 
a  legal  debate  in  court  proceedings. 

forfeit.    To  lose,  as  penalty  for  some  default. 

fo^ery.  An  alteration  in  a  written  document 
with  intent  to  defraud  ;  especially,  the  imitation 
of  a  signature,  as  a  check. 

forum.  A  place  of  public  assembly  for 
purposes  of  discussing  public  questions. 


566 


A   BUSINESS   LETTER  LEXICON 


foulard.  A  soft,  fine,  washable  silk  dress 
goods,  or  an  imitation  of  it,  made  of  silk  and 
cotton. 

foundation.     An  endowment. 

founder.  To  fill  with  water  and  sink,  as  a 
vessel.  To  fail,  miscarry,  or  be  ruined  in  any 
way. 

foundry.  A  place  where  articles  are  cast 
from  metal,  as  an  iron  foimdry. 

franchise.  A  local,  state,  or  national  govern- 
ment grant  extending  certain  rights  and  privi- 
leges to  individuals  or  companies,  as  to  street 
railways. 

frank.  The  right  to  send  mail  matter  free 
of  postage  charge. 

freehold.    A  landed  estate  held  in  fee  simple. 

freightage.  The  charges  for  carrying  goods 
from  point  to  point  or  from  port  to  port ;  the 
goods  carried. 

fustian.  A  coarse,  twilled  cotton  stuff  such 
as  corduroy. 

gain.     Profit  or  earnings. 

gallon.  A  liquid  measure  of  four  quarts,  or 
231  cubic  inches. 

galloon.  A  worsted  lace,  or  a  narrow  tape 
used  for  purposes  of  trimming  garments. 

garage.  A  building  in  which  motor  vehicles 
are  stored  and  cared  for. 

garnish.  To  give  warning  to  answer  to  a 
legal  action. 

garnishee.  To  attach  the  fvmd  or  property 
sought  to  be  secured  by  garnishment. 

garnishment.  A  warning  or  summons  not  to 
pay  or  deUver  money  or  effects  to  a  defendant, 
pending  a  judgment  of  the  court. 

gerrsonander.  To  alter  unfairly  or  abnormally, 
as  the  political  map  of  a  state. 

gin.  An  alcoholic  liquor  distilled  from  various 
grains.  Any  mechanical  contrivance  that  fur- 
nishes power  to  second  human  effort.  A  machine 
for  separating  the  fibers  in  cotton  from  the 
seed. 

going.  Operating ;  operative,  as,  a  going 
concern. 

go-between.  An  agent  or  middleman ;  an 
intermediary. 

graft.  To  obtain  money,  position,  or  other 
advantage  by  imfair  means.  To  join  or  unite 
one  thing  upon  another. 

grain.  The  quality  or  texture  of  anything, 
especially  a  fabric.  One  seven  thousandth  part 
of  a  pound  avoirdupois. 

gram.  The  fundamental  unit  of  weight  in 
the  metric  system  :    15.432  grains. 

grocery.  A  shop  where  household  supplies, 
especially  for  the  table,  are  sold. 

gross.     Twelve  dozen  as  a  imit. 

groundage.  The  duty  payable  on  a  vessel 
entering  a  port. 

guaranty.  The  security  of  a  person  or  a 
firm  against  loss.  The  promise  of  security  in 
the  purchase  or  the  possession  of  something. 

guinea.  An  English  monetary  unit  (and 
former  coin)  worth  21  shillings,  or  $5  in  United 
States  money. 

haberdasher.  A  dealer  in  gentlemen's 
furnishings. 

habiliment.     An  article  of  clothing  or  dress. 
habit.    A  woman's  dress  for  horseback  riding. 


hall-mark.  The  official  mark  of  the  gold- 
smiths' company  or  other  assay  office  in  England, 
stamped  on  articles  of  gold  or  silver  to  indicate 
purity. 

halyard.  A  rope  used  for  hoisting  a  flag, 
a  sail,  a  yard,  etc. 

hamper.  A  large  packing  basket  for  food, 
light  clothing,  and  the  like. 

hand.     An  operator  in  a  miU  or  factory. 

handbill.    A  small  advertising  sheet  or  poster. 

hank.    A  bundle  of  yarn. 

hardware.  Manufactured  articles  of  metal, 
such  as  utensils  or  tools. 

haulage.  Charge  made  for  use  of  vehicles 
in  conveying  goods  from  one  place  to  another ; 
also  the  act  of  such  conveyance. 

hawker.  A  pedler  who  cries  or  hawks  his 
wares  thru  the  streets. 

hawser-  A  large  rope,  five  to  ten  inches  in 
diameter,  used  chiefly  on  ships. 

hazard.     Exposure  to  financial  risk  or  peril. 

hedge.  To  buy  or  sell  commodities  against 
previous  purchases  or  sales  in  order  to  avert 
possible  loss. 

heir.  One  inheriting  or  entitled  to  inherit 
property. 

heirloom.  Any  movable  chattel  that  descends 
to  an  heir. 

hemp.  An  annual  herb  of  the  nettle  family 
from  the  strong,  tough  fiber  of  which  rope  and 
cordage  are  made. 

hereditament.  Anything  that  can  be  inherited. 

hereditary.  Passing  from  an  ancestor  to  an  heir. 

heritage.  That  which  is  inherited,  as  an 
estate. 

hogshead.    A  liquid  measure  of  63  gallons. 

hold.  That  part  of  a  ship  below  decks  in 
which  ballast  or  cargo  is  stored.  A  holding  or 
tenure,  as  of  property. 

holder.  One  who  holds  a  legal  or  commercial 
paper  in  virtue  of  its  being  made  over  to  him. 

holograph.  The  term  used  to  indicate  that  a 
document  is  wholly  in  the  handwriting  of  the 
one  whose  name  it  bears. 

homemade.  Of  domestic  or  household  manu- 
facture, rather  than  factory  or  foreign  made. 

hong.  A  connected  row  of  mercantile  ware- 
houses, or  a  warehouse  having  a  number  of 
connected  rooms. 

honor.  To  accept  a  check,  draft,  bill,  and 
meet  the  obligation  when  due. 

horsepower.  A  standard  unit  of  the  rate  of 
work  or  power  of  a  machine,  automobile,  etc., 
equal  to  33,000  pounds  lifted  one  foot  in  one 
minute. 

house.  A  mercantile  establishment ;  a  firm  ; 
a  company  ;   a  concern 

huchster.  One  who  retails  small  wares  such 
as  groceries,  thru  the  streets. 

husbandry.    Farming  or  agriculture. 

hypothesis.  A  condition  assumed  as  a  basis 
of  reasoning,  experiment,  or  investigation  ;  a 
theory  unsupported  by  facts. 

imbroglio.    An  intricate  plot  or  complication. 

immigrant.  One  who  enters  a  country  from 
another  country. 

import.  That  which  is  brought  from  one 
country  into  another. 

imprimatur.  Official  license  to  print  or 
publish. 


567 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


incarcerate.    To  shut  up  in  prison. 

income.  The  total  amount  of  money  received 
from  all  sources,  such  as  earnings  and  receipts. 

incorporate.  To  form  or  combine  into  one 
harmonious  whole  for  the  more  efficient  conduct 
of  affairs,  as  a  business  organization.  To  protect 
such  combination  by  legal  or  legislative  action. 

increment.  Increase  or  addition,  especially 
at  regularly  stated  intervals. 

incumbent.  One  who  holds  an  oflBice  or 
performs  official  duties. 

indemnify.  To  make  up  some  loss  or  damage. 

indemnity.  Security  against  loss  or  damage. 
That  which  is  given  as  compensation  for  loss. 

indenture.  A  contract  by  which  an  apprentice 
is  bound  to  a  master,  or  a  servant  to  a  service 
in  a  colony.  Any  formal  or  official  document, 
as  a  certificate  or  an  inventory  (originally  one 
prepared  in  duplicate). 

indict.    To  prefer  a  charge  against. 

indorse  (endorse).  The  writing  of  one's  name 
on  the  back  of  a  check  or  draft. 

industry.  Strictly,  the  name  given  to  all  pro- 
cesses of  labor  involving  the  conversion  of 
products  into  commodities,  as  opposed  to 
business  which  has  to  do  with  the  disposal  of 
such  commodities  and  the  auditing  of  returns. 
In  general,  all  activities  called  forth  by  work 
and  service. 

ingot.  A  mass  of  cast  metal  from  the  crucible. 
The  mold  in  which  an  ingot  may  be  cast. 

initiative.  Ability  for  original  conception  and 
independent  action.  The  right  of  the  people 
to  demand  desired  legislation  from  their 
representative  assemblies. 

injunction.  A  judicial  order  requiring  the 
party  enjoined  to  take  or  to  refrain  from  some 
special  action. 

insert.  A  small  sales  or  advertising  circular 
inserted  in  letters,  bills,  or  other  business 
communications. 

insignia.  Badges  or  other  marks  indicating 
office  or  branch  of  service. 

insolvency.  The  inability  of  a  firm  or  an 
individual  to  meet  liabilities. 

instalment.  A  partial  payment  made  on  a 
whole  amovmt  at  stated  intervals. 

insurance.  A  system  whereby  pecuniary 
indemnity  is  guaranteed  by  one  party  or  com- 
pany to  another  party  in  certain  contingencies, 
such  as  accident  or  loss,  upon  specified  terms, 
such  as  the  payment  of  annual  premiums,  etc. 

interdict.    A  prohibition,  order,  or  ban. 

interest.  Money  paid  for  the  privilege  of 
using  money  loaned.  A  person's  investment  in 
a  business. 

intestate.  Not  having  made  a  will.  Not 
legally  devised  or  disposed  of. 

invalid.   Null ;  having  no  force  under  the  law. 

inventory.  A  detailed  account  or  schedule, 
as  of  stock  on  hand  or  the  property  of  a  deceased 
person. 

invoice.  A  list  sent  to  a  purchaser  containing 
items  and  charges  of  merchandise.  The  goods 
so  listed. 

issue.  To  go  forth  officially,  as  a  writ.  Out- 
come or  production.     An  edition  of  a  publication. 

item.  A  separate  article  or  entry  in  an 
account.     A  newspaper  paragraph. 

itinerary.  An  outline  or  detailed  account  of 
a  journey  taken  or  proposed. 


jean.  A  twilled,  undressed  cloth  of  cotton 
and  wool. 

jerquer.  A  term  appUed  to  those  in  a  custom 
house  who  check  or  "  jerque  "  documents  that 
have  to  do  with  ships  of  importation  ;  also,  a 
customs  officer  who  searches  vessels. 

jet.  Ornaments  for  women's  wear,  made  of 
rich,  black,  mineral  coal. 

jetsam  (jettison).  Goods  thrown  overboard 
for  the  purpose  of  making  a  ship  lighter,  as  in 
a  storm. 

jobber.  One  who  buys  merchandise  from 
manufactmrers  or  importers  and  disposes  of  it 
to  wholesalers  or  retailers.  One  who  deals  in 
stocks  and  shares  with  stockbrokers  and  not 
with  the  public.  A  middleman.  One  who  works 
and  receives  wages  by  the  job. 

joiner.  A  worker  in  wood-finishing ;  one 
who  finishes  the  woodwork  of  a  house. 

jointure.  A  settlement,  as  of  land,  made  to 
a  woman,  in  place  of  dower. 

journal.  A  book  in  which  is  entered  from 
the  day-book  or  blotter  a  statement  of  the 
transactions  of  each  day,  ready  to  be  posted 
in  the  ledger. 

journeyman.  A  mechanic  or  artisan  who  has 
completed  his  apprenticeship  or  learned  his 
trade. 

judgment.  Obligation  or  debt  created  by 
verdict  of  a  court,  or  the  record  or  certificate 
of  such  decision,  which  constitutes  a  lien  on 
leviable  property. 

judiciary  (justiciary).  Pertaining  to  courts 
of  justice  and  the  administration  of  the  law. 

jumper.  A  loose  outer  jacket  of  cotton 
drilling  or  coarse  linen. 

junk.  Cast-off  material  of  any  sort  that  may 
still  be  useful. 

jurisdiction.  Lawful  right  to  exercise  author- 
ity ;    the  territory  over  which  it  is  exercised. 

jurisprudence.     The  science  of  law. 

jurist.     One  versed  in  the  law. 

jury.  A  body  of  men,  usually  twelve,  qualified 
and  summoned  to  attend  a  court  trial  and 
sworn  to  render  true  verdict  according  to  the 
evidence. 

jute.  The  fiber  obtained  from  the  inner  bark 
of  an  Asiatic  birch  of  the  linden  family,  and 
used  for  making  bags,  baskets,  etc. 

ju^position.  The  placing  of  articles  close 
together  or  side  by  side  for  purposes  of 
comparison  and  contrast. 

keel.  A  term  used  frequently  in  shipping 
circles  to  indicate  a  vessel  or  bottom. 

keelage.  The  price  paid  for  the  privilege  of 
anchoring  a  ship  in  a  harbor. 

keep.     Means  of  livelihood. 

keg.  A  small,  especially  strong  barrel  holding 
five  gallons. 

kelp.  Large,  coarse  seaweeds,  or  their  ashes, 
the  chief  source  of  iodin. 

kentledge.     Ballast  of  pigiron. 

kersey.     A  smooth,  light-weight  beaver  cloth. 

key.  A  figure,  letter,  or  other  symbol  placed 
on  some  advertisements  for  convenience  in 
assorting  answers  by  mail  and  for  purposes  of 
testing  advertising  efficiency. 

kit.  A  collection  of  articles  and  apphances 
for  any  specific  purpose.  An  outfit.  The  bag, 
box,  or  wrapper  in  which  such  outfit  is  carried. 


568 


A  BUSINESS  LETTER  LEXICON 


laity.  The  people  as  distinguished  from  the 
clergy,  or  those  outside  any  profession. 

lampoon.  A  written  satire  designed  to  bring 
a  person  or  a  group  of  persons  into  ridicule  or 
contempt. 

landau.  An  automobile  carriage  top  that 
can  be  folded  back. 

landing.  A  place  where  goods  are  landed, 
as  a  wharf. 

landlord.    One  who  owns  and  lets  real  estate. 

larceny.  The  theft  of  goods  from  another 
with  deliberate  intent  to  defraud  the  rightful 
owner. 

largess.     Liberality.    A  gift  or  bovinty. 

lastage.     Ballast  of  gravel  or  sand. 

lawsuit.  Action  in  court  for  the  redress  of 
wrongs  or  for  the  enforcement  of  claims  or 
rights. 

lasrman.  One  of  the  laity.  Not  belonging  to 
the  clergy  or  other  profession. 

layout.  The  original  plan,  design,  or  arrange- 
ment of  an  advertisement,  or  of  a  window  or 
other  display. 

leader.  The  chief  editorial  article  in  a 
newspaper. 

leakage.  Loss  caused  through  leaks  in 
carrying  vessels.    Money  paid  for  such  loss. 

lease.  A  written  contract  giving  one  the 
right  to  occupy  or  possess  property  temporarily. 

ledger.  A  simimarized  form  of  accounts. 
The  principal  book  of  accounts,  showing  the 
condition  of  each  accovmt. 

legacy.  Money,  property,  or  other  gift  by 
will. 

legatee.  The  recipient  of  a  gift  by  will  or 
legacy. 

legator.  One  who  bequeaths  a  legacy ;  a 
testator. 

legist.  One  skilled  in  law.  A  writer  on  legal 
subjects. 

legitimate.     Sanctioned  by  law  or  custom. 

lessee.  One  to  whom  a  lease  is  granted  ;  one 
holding  property  by  lease. 

lessor.     One  who  grants  a  lease. 

letterhead.  A  printed  heading  at  the  top  of 
a  sheet  of  letter  paper,  or  the  sheet  itself  bearing 
such  heading. 

levy.    To  coUect  by  legal  right  or  authority. 

liability.  Responsibility  for  a  debt ;  the  debt 
itself  for  which  an  individual  or  a  firm  is 
responsible. 

libel.  Slander,  written  and  published,  designed 
to  damage  an  individual,  a  property,  a  business, 
or  a  profession. 

licence.  A  permit  issued  to  an  individual  to 
conduct  business  on  the  payment  of  certain 
taxes  and  in  compliance  with  certain  rules  laid 
down  by  a  community. 

lien.  The  right  to  retain  occupancy  of  prop- 
erty or  possession  of  goods  until  certain  debts 
or  other  obligations  are  satisfied. 

lighter.  A  barge-like  vessel  used  in  loading 
or  unloading  ships. 

limit.  A  restrictive  condition  or  stipulation, 
or  a  term  fixed  by  law  for  the  validity  of  certain 
acts. 

limited.  Restricted  by  law  within  certain 
prescribed  limits,  as  in  the  capitalisation  of  a 
company. 

limousine.  A  motor  carriage  body  with  top 
projecting  over  driver's  seat. 


line.  A  branch  of  mercantile  business  or  a 
stock  of  goods  of  a  particular  kind. 

linen.    A  fabric  woven  from  the  fiber  of  flax. 

liner.  The  name  sometimes  applied  to  a  large 
ocean-going  vessel  belonging  to  an  incorporated 
steamship  line  or  company. 

lingerie.  Linen  articles  of  dress ;  women's 
lace-trimmed  underwear  in  general. 

linoleum.  A  floor  covering  made  of  cork  and 
linseed  oil. 

liquidation.  The  settlement  of  accounts, 
especially  debts,  by  a  company  when  it  closes 
business.  It  liquidates  voluntarily  if  it  is  able 
to  meet  its  debts  ;  it  liquidates  imder  compulsion 
if  its  assets  are  not  equal  to  its  liabilities. 

liter.  The  fimdamental  unit  of  capacity  in 
the  metric  system;  1.0567  quarts  in  liquid 
measure  ;    .908  quarts  in  dry  measure. 

litigant.     A  party  to  a  lawsuit. 

live-weight.  In  railway  transportation,  the 
weight  of  the  load  as  separate  and  apart  from 
the  weight  of  the  rolling  stock,  which  is 
deadweight. 

lockage.  The  toll  levied  for  the  passage  of 
boats  through  a  canal  lock.  The  difference  in 
levels  in  a  lock  canal.  The  materials  used  to 
make  a  canal  lock. 

lockout.  The  opposite  of  a  strike — the 
refusal  of  an  employer  to  permit  his  employees  to 
work. 

loft.  A  large  storeroom  for  storing  goods, 
especially  in  wholesale  quantities. 

log-book.  A  ship  captain's  record  of  daily 
speed  as  well  as  of  all  important  events  during 
a  voyage. 

longs.  Those  buying  securities  or  commodities 
and  holding  them  for  an  advance  in  price. 

longshoreman.    A  stevedore. 

lot.  A  collection  or  parcel  of  land,  goods, 
stocks,  etc.,  offered  for  sale  as  a  unit.  The 
share  falling  to  one  who  participates  in  drawing 
lots,  as  from  a  lottery.  A  small  piece  of  land, 
as  a  building  lot. 

luggage.  The  term  by  which  baggage  is 
designated  in  England. 


One   clothed   with   public   civil 
authority.     A  judicial  officer. 

make.  The  operation  or  the  product  of 
manufacture. 

makeweight.  That  which  is  thrown  into  a 
scale  to  increase  weight ;  hence,  an  important 
person  or  thing  used  to  fill  up  a  deficiency. 

malfeasance.  Unlawful  or  wrongful  action  ; 
wrongdoing  in  general. 

manager.  One  in  whose  hands  rests  the" 
conduct  of  a  business. 

mandamus.  A  writ  of  right,  issued  by  courts 
of  superior  jurisdiction  and  directed  to  subor- 
dinate courts,  corporations,  or  the  like,  com- 
manding them  to  do  something  therein  specified. 

mandate.  An  authoritative  command  or 
requirement. 

manifest.  A  document  stating  the  contents 
of  a  ship's  cargo,  and  giving  port  of  departure 
and  port  of  destination. 

manipulator.  One  who  manages  on  a  large 
or  intricate  scale. 

manor.  A  tract  of  land,  originally  gi-anted 
as  a  manor  and  let  by  the  proprietor  to  tenants 
in  p>erpetuity  or  for  a  long  term. 


569 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


manswear.  To  swear  falsely ;  to  commit 
perjury. 

manufacture.  The  production  of  salable  and 
usable  goods  by  industrial  art  or  processes. 
The  kind  of  article  manufactured.  Manufactured 
articles  collectively. 

manumit.     To  liberate  or  free,  as  a  slave. 

maiconigram.     A  wireless  message. 

margin.  The  difference  between  the  cost  of 
an  article  and  its  selling  price.  A  sum  deposited 
with  a  broker  to  protect  him  against  loss  in 
buying  and  selling  for  his  principal. 

marine.  Pertaining  to  shipping,  or  shipping 
interests  generally. 

marketable.    Salable  ;  in  demand. 

matris.  A  mold  in  which  anything  is  cast 
or  shaped,  or  that  which  encloses  like  a  mold, 
as  the  papier-mache  or  other  impression  of  a 
form  of  type,  from  which  a  cast  of  printing  may 
be  made. 

mature.  To  become  due,  as  a  note  or 
bond. 

maximum.  The  greatest  quantity,  amoimt, 
or  degree  of  anything.  The  highest  rate  or 
charge. 

mayhem.  The  offence  of  depriving  a  person 
by  violence  of  any  limb,  member,  or  organ,  or 
causing  any  other  mutilation  of  the  body. 

measure.  A  specified  act  or  transaction.  A 
legislative  bill.  A  standard  of  measurement,  as 
of  weight,  quantity,  size,  etc. 

memorandum.  A  brief  written  outline  of  the 
terms  of  a  transaction,  or  any  notes  jotted  down 
for  the  purpose  of  recall  to  memory. 

mercer.  Formerly,  a  dealer  in  small  wares  ; 
now  a  dealer  in  cloth  or  silks. 

mercerize.  To  treat  cotton  fabrics  with 
caustic  soda  or  potash  so  as  to  increase  their 
color  absorbing  qualities  and  impart  to  them 
a  silky  gloss. 

merchandise.  Commodities  traded  in  by 
merchants. 

merchantman.    A  trading  vessel. 

merger.  A  commercial  combination  of  a 
number  of  interests  or  companies  vmder  one 
management.  The  extinguishment  of  a  lesser 
estate,  right,  or  liabihty  in  a  greater  one. 

merino.  A  superior  kind  of  wool  of  a  fine, 
silky,  closely-set  texture,  made  from  the  wool 
of  sheep  formerly  native  to  northern  Spain. 

messuage.  A  dwelling  house  with  its  belong- 
ings, outhouses,  etc. 

meter.  An  instrument  or  apparatus  for 
measuring  fluids,  grain,  gases,  electric  cvurents, 
etc.  The  fundamental  unit  of  length  in  the 
metric  system  :    39.37  inches. 

middleman.  One  who  acts  as  agent  between 
the  manufacturer,  producer,  or  wholesaler,  and 
the  consumer.  One  who  buys  in  bulk  and  resells 
in  lesser  quantities. 

middlings.  The  coarser  part  of  groimd  wheat 
as  distinguished  from  flour  and  bran. 

middy-blouse.  A  loose  fitting  garment  with 
sailor  collar,  worn  either  with  or  without  belt. 

mil.  A  unit  of  length  in  measuring  the 
diameter  of  wire  :    1/1000  of  an  inch. 

mill.  Strictly,  a  building  fitted  for  grinding 
grain  or  reducing  ores,  but  appUed  loosely  to 
any  building  fitted  with  machinery  for  the 
purpose  of  transforming  raw  materials  into 
salable  or  other  form.     To  indent  or  flute  the 


edge  of  a  coin  to  protect  it  from  wear  and  to 
prevent  clipping. 

mimeograph.  An  office  machine  for  running 
off  many  copies  of  a  piece  of  writing  after  it 
has  been  written  on  especially  prepared  wax 
or  other  sheets. 

minimum.  The  least  quantity,  amoxmt,  or 
degree  of  anything.  The  lowest  rate  or  charge. 

mintage.  The  coining  of  money.  The  profit 
made  by  a  country  out  of  coining  processes. 

minor.  One  who  is  below  the  age  at  which 
full  personal  and  civil  rights  can  be  exercised. 

misdemeanor.  Misbehavior.  Any  offense  of 
less  seriousness  than  a  felony. 

misfeasance.  A  trespass  or  wrong.  The 
doing  of  an  unlawful  act. 

misprision.  Contempt.  The  act  of  under- 
valuing for  purposes  of  gain.  The  concealment 
of  a  crime,  especially  of  felony  or  treason, 

model.  A  pattern.  An  object  exactly  repre 
senting  something  to  be  made.  A  woman  who 
tries  on  cloaks,  as  in  a  salesroom,  to  exhibit 
them  to  prospective  buyers. 

mohair.  The  hair  of  the  Angora  goat,  or  a 
dress  fabric  made  therefrom. 

moire.  A  watered  silk  ;  a  watered  or  clouded 
finish  given  to  textile  fabrics. 

monetary.     Pertaining  to  money  or  finance. 

monger.  A  dealer  or  trader,  especially  in 
England,  such  as  a  cheesemonger,  etc. 

monometalism.  The  standardization  of 
currency  on  the  value  of  one  metal. 

monopoly.  A  combination  of  business  men 
or  firms  that  controls  the  marketing  of  goods 
and  thus  adjusts  prices  arbitrarily, 

moot.  Something  still  unsettled  by  discussion. 

moot-court.  A  court  for  the  trial  of  a  fictitious 
suit  by  law  students,  as  a  means  of  training. 

morale.  The  state  of  mind  or  the  attitude  of 
a  body  of  workers  or  soldiers  in  regard  to 
courage,  loyalty,  confidence,  stamina,  etc. 

moratorium.  An  emergency  act  of  legislation 
authorizing  a  debtor  or  a  bank  to  suspend 
payment  for  a  given  period,  as  in  the  case  of  a 
declaration  of  war. 

morganatic.  The  term  applied  to  the  marriage 
of  a  male  member  of  a  royal  family  and  a  woman 
of  inferior  rank,  in  which  the  title  and  estates 
of  the  husband  are  not  shared  by  the  wife  or 
their  children. 

mortgage.  A  conditional  lien  upon  property 
as  security  for  the  payment  of  money. 

mortgagee.  One  to  whom  a  mortgage  is 
given. 

mortmain.  Lands  or  tenements  held  inalien- 
ably, as  by  a  religious  corporation, 

mountebank.  A  quack ;  a  charlatan ;  a 
pretender. 

mousquetaire.  A  woman's  cloth  cloak  with 
large  buttons,  of  about  1850.  A  woman's  long 
glove  of  kid  or  silk,  loose  above  the  wrist. 

mugwamp.    An  independent  in  po'itics. 

mulct.  To  oblige  to  pay  excessively  for  an 
article  ;   to  fine  unjustly, 

multure.  The  grinding  of  grain,  or  the  grain 
ground.  The  percentage  of  ore  paid  to  the 
proprietor  of  a  pulverizing  mill. 

municipal.  Pertaining  to  the  local  government 
of  a  city  or  a  town. 

municipaUty.  An  incorporated  town,  boro, 
or  city. 


570 


A  BUSINESS   LETTER   LEXICON 


nainsook.  A  stout  India  muslin,  striped  or 
plain. 

nankeen.  A  buff-colored,  Chinese  cotton 
fabric. 

nap.  The  short  fibers  on  the  surface  of  flannel, 
silk  hats,  and  the  like,  forming  a  soft  surface 
lying  smoothly  in  one  direction. 

napery.  An  article  of  household  linen,  or 
household  linen  collectively. 

naptha.  A  light,  colorless,  volatile,  inflam- 
mable oil,  distilled  principally  from  petroleum. 

negligee.  A  loose,  easy  garment  for  loimging 
and  resting  purposes. 

negotiate.  To  conduct  business  dealings  with 
another.  To  transfer  on  satisfactory  financial 
conditions. 

net.  The  remainder  after  all  charges  and 
deductions. 

nominal.     Inconsiderable  ;   for  small  amoimt. 

nonesuch.  An  unexampled  or  unequaled  thing. 

notary.  An  official  authorized  to  take  acknow- 
ledgments of  legal  papers,  to  administer  business 
oaths,  and  to  protest  financial  documents  for 
nonpayment. 

note.  A  signed  promise  by  one  party  to 
another  to  pay  a  certain  sum. 

notionis.  Small  household  articles,  such  as 
buttons,  pins,  thread,  hooks  and  eyes  and  the 
like. 

nulL     Of  no  legal  force  or  effect  ;    void. 

nullity.     A  void  act  or  instrument. 

numismatic.     Pertaining  to  coin  or  metals. 

nuncupative.  Oral  as  distinguished  from 
written,  used  especially  in  speaking  of  wills. 

nuns-veiling.  A  very  soft,  thin,  untwilled 
woolen  fabric  used  for  veiling  and  for  dress 
material. 

nurl.  To  mill  or  roughen,  as  the  periphery 
of  a  coin. 

nursery.  A  place  where  trees  and  shrubbery 
are  raised  for  sale  and  transplantation. 

obligation.  Indebtedness.  A  legal  bond 
bearing  a  penalty. 

offer.     A  bid  ;  a  proposal. 

onmibus.   A  waiter's  assistant  in  a  restaurant. 

onus.     Responsibility ;  burden. 

operator.  A  skilled  worker.  One  who  runs 
machinery.  A  broker  who  acts  for  others  in 
trading  in  speculative  securities. 

option.  The  purchased  privilege  of  either 
buying  or  selling  something  at  a  specified  price 
within  a  specified  time. 

order.  A  commission  or  instruction  to  supply, 
purchase,  or  sell  something. 

ordinance.  An  authoritative  rule.  A  municipal 
law. 

ordnance.  The  general  term  used  to  indicate 
all  kinds  of  weapons,  and  their  appliances,  used 
in  warfare. 

organ.  A  periodical  published  by  and  in  the 
interest  of  some  business  house  or  some  trade 
organization. 

organize.  To  prepare  for  the  transaction  of 
business  by  choosing  ofl[icers,  appointing 
committees,  etc. 

outgo.     Cost ;    outlay  ;    expenditure. 

outpost.  A  port  far  away  from  the  chief 
custom  house  or  seat  of  trade. 

output.  The  quantity  produced  in  a  specified 
time,  as  of  a  factory. 


outright.     Without  reservation  or  limitation. 

overbalance.    Excess  of  weight  or  value. 

overdraw.  To  draw  against  an  accoimt 
beyond  one's  credit. 

overdue.  Remaining  unpaid  after  becoming 
due. 

overhead.  All  charges  against  or  expenses 
of  a  manufacturing  or  general  business  beyond 
the  cost  of  raw  materials,  labor,  and  sales. 

overplus.  Excess ;  surplus.  That  which 
remains  after  a  certain  part  has  been  set  aside. 

overproduction.  Production  in  excess  of 
demand. 

packet.  A  steamship  for  conveying  mail, 
passengers    and  freight  at  regular  times. 

pact.     An  agreement  ;   a  bargain. 

paper.  Written  or  printed  pledges  or  promises 
to  pay.  The  term  applied  to  valuable  business 
documents  in  general. 

par.  The  condition  when  nominal  and  actual 
values  are  the  same.  A  t  par  means  that  a  share 
of  stock  is  exchangeable  for  its  face  value  in 
money.  Above  par  and  below  par  respectively 
mean  that  the  market  price  of  stocks  is  higher 
or  lower  than  the  nominal  value  of  the 
stock. 

parcel.  A  portion  of  real  estate  or  personal 
property. 

pardon.  Remission  of  guilt :  the  of&cial 
warrant  declaring  the  act  of  pardon. 

partner.  One  who  assumes  risks  and  shares 
profits  with  another  in  business.  A  nominal 
partner  is  one  whose  name  only  is  used.  A 
silent  Pirtner  is  one  whose  capital  only  is  used. 

party.  A  person  interested  in  and  signatory 
to  a  deed,  suit,  contract,  etc.  The  word  used 
for  a  person  or  for  persons  in  legal  documents. 

passementerie.  Trimming  for  dresses,  such 
as  beaded  lace. 

passport.  Documentary  permission  for  a  ship 
to  proceed  on  a  voyage.  An  ofiicial  warrant 
affording  protection  to  a  person  in  traveling 
abroad. 

patent.  The  issue  by  a  government  of  an 
exclusive  right  to  an  inventor  for  the  protection 
of  his  work. 

pawn.  Something  pledged  as  security  for  a 
loan, 

pawnbroker.  One  who  lends  money  on 
personal  property  that  is  placed  in  his  possession. 

payee.  The  person  to  whom  a  sum  of  money 
is  made  payable,  by  note,  check,  or  bill  of  credit. 

pecuniary.    Consisting  of  or  relating  to  money. 

pedler.  One  who  travels  from  place  to  place 
with  goods  to  sell. 

pelt.     An  undressed  furskin. 

penal.  Liable  or  rendering  liable  to  pvmishment. 

percentage.  The  allowance,  commission,  duty, 
or  interest  on  a  hundred. 

perjury.    Assertion  of  a  falsity  under  oath. 

permit.     A  ■v^l'fitten  warrant  or  permission. 

perquisite.  Any  profit  from  service  beyond 
salary  or  wages. 

petition.  A  formal  request,  addressed  to  one 
in  authority,  signed  usually  by  a  group  of 
people,  asking  for  some  grant  or  benefit,  or 
expressing  some  grievance  and  requesting  relief 
therefrom. 

piecework.  Work  done  and  paid  for  by  the 
piece  or  quantity. 


571 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


pier.  A  projecting  wharf  at  which  a  ship 
lands. 

pinchbeck.  An  alloy  of  copper,  zinc,  and 
tin,  forming  a  cheap  imitation  of  gold.  Spiurious 
or  pretentious. 

pittance.  A  meager  allowance,  in  either 
money  or  articles. 

plaintiff.  The  party  that  begins  an  action 
at  law. 

plant.  The  building  and  permanent  appli- 
ances of  a  factory  or  other  institution,  especially 
industrial. 

pledge.  A  formal  promise.  A  pawn  of  personal 
property,  or  the  property  so  delivered. 

plurality.  The  greatest  of  more  than  two 
numbers,  whether  or  not  it  is  a  majority  of 
the  whole.  The  excess  of  the  highest  number 
of  votes  cast  for  any  one  candidate  over  the 
next  highest  number. 

POgram.  A  local  disturbance,  such  as  riot  or 
pillage,  instigated  by  officials  imder  the  direction 
of  a  central  government. 

polirv.  A  plan  of  action,  A  system  of 
management.  The  name  given  to  the  contract 
issued  by  an  insurance  company.  The  collective 
or  cumulative  practices  of  a  business  house  in 
its  transactions. 

pontage.     A  bridge  toll  or  tax. 

pool.  An  arrangement  whereby  business  firms 
or  individuals  can  reduce  competition  or  risk 
as  the  result  of  merging  their  interests,  thus 
controlling  prices  and  sharing  profits.  "  To  pool 
interests." 

port.  The  left  side  of  a  vessel.  Any  place 
designated  as  a  point  at  which  persons  or  mer- 
chandise may  enter  or  leave  a  country,  under 
specified  supervision. 

portage.  The  act  of  transportation  from  one 
port  to  another.  That  which  is  transported. 
The  charge  for  transportation. 

posse.     A  force  or  squad  of  men. 

post.  The  transference  of  items  or  accounts 
to  the  ledger,  in  bookkeeping. 

postdate.  To  date  a  document  or  other 
writing  later  than  the  actual  date. 

poster.  An  advertising  sheet  for  posting  on 
walls  and  other  prominent  places. 

pottery.  A  factory  where  porcelain  or 
earthenware  is  made,  or  the  wares  themselves. 

preamble.  A  statement  introductory  to  and 
explanatory  of  what  foUows. 

precis.     A  summary  or  abstract. 

preempt.  To  secure  the  right  of  preference 
in  a  purchase,  especially  of  public  land.  To 
take  up  public  land  by  preemption. 

premise.  A  foregoing  statement  or  a  fact 
previously  proved.  That  part  in  a  deed  that 
sets  forth  the  date,  names  of  parties  concerned, 
land  or  other  property  conveyed  and  granted. 

premium.  The  jieriodical  payment  made  on 
an  insurance  contract.  A  bonus  m^er  and  above 
wages  or  a  customary  dividend.^The  difference 
in  purchasing  power  of  one  kind  of  money  over 
another.  An  advance  above  par  in  the  prices 
of  stocks. 

presswork.  Work  done  by  the  printing- 
press.  The  operation  of  pressing  together  crossed 
veneers  in  joinery. 

prestige.  Authority  or  importance  or 
recognition  based  upon  achievement  and 
reputation. 


primage.  An  allowance  to  the  owner  or 
master  of  a  ship  for  care  of  goods  in  port. 

prime.   First  rate  ;  first  in  value  or  excellerice. 

primogeniture.  The  right  of  the  eldest  son 
to  inherit  property  of  a  parent  to  the  exclusion 
of  all  other  children. 

principal.  Property  or  capital.  A  sum  on 
which  interest  accrues.  An  investor  for  whom 
a  broker  acts.  The  amount  of  money  held  by 
or  invested  in  a  firm.  The  leading  person  or 
persons  to  a  contract  in  a  lawsuit,  or  in  other 
similar  procedures. 

priority.  Right  to  precedence  by  virtue  of 
value,  time,  or  importance. 

probate.  Formal  legal  proof,  as  of  a  will. 
The  right  or  jurisdiction  of  proving  wills. 

proceeding.  An  act  or  course  of  action  in 
legal  or  parliamentary  matters, 

proceeds.    That  which  accrues  from  sales. 

profit.  Excess  of  returns  over  outlay  or 
expenditure. 

profiteer.  One  who  secures  excessive  profits 
from  some  enterprise,  such  as  the  manufacture 
of  munitions  or  uniforms  in  time  of  war. 

promoter.  One  who  assists,  by  securing 
capital,  or  otherwise,  in  advancing  a  commercial 
or  financial  enterprise. 

propaganda.  The  systematic  dissemination  of 
a  doctrine  or  a  poUcy. 

proprietary.  Pertaining  to  a  proprietor. 
Subject  to  exclusive  ownership. 

prospectus.  A  publication  that  places  invest- 
ment or  sales  opportunities  before  the  public. 

protest.  A  formal  and  written  notice,  usually 
issued  by  a  notary  to  the  endorser  of  a  note  or 
draft,  stating  that  the  paper  has  been  presented 
but  not  accepted  and  therefore  not  paid. 

provender.    Food  for  cattle,  such  as  hay. 

proviso.  A  conditional  stipulation.  A  clause 
in  a  contract  or  statute  limiting,  modifying,  or 
rendering  conditional  its  operation. 

proxy.  A  person  authorized  to  vote  in  place 
of  another,  especially  at  meetings  of  shareholders 
or  directorates. 

publicity.  The  state  of  being  public.  The 
act  of  making  public  thru  a  systematized, 
regularly  operated  plan  or  campaign  of  action. 
Advertising  that  carries  with  it  a  persistent 
news  element. 

purchase.  To  buy.  The  act  of  buying.  A 
more  high-soimding  term  than  buy,  and  by  strict 
definition  referring  to  buying  in  large  quantities 
or  on  an  elaborate  scale.  A  device  that  gives 
a  mechanical  advantage,  such  as  a  thumb-piece, 
to  raise  a  cover,  or  a  rope,  pulley,  or  windlass. 

push.   Extreme  energy  or  determined  activity. 

quarantine.  The  enforced  isolation  of  any 
person  or  place  infected  with  contagious  disease. 
The  outpost  of  a  shipping  port  where  medical 
officers  board  ships  and  examine  passengers  and 
health  records  on  the  vessel. 

quarter-day.  The  day  on  which  quarterly 
payments  come  due. 

quarterly.  Occiuring  at  intervals  of  three 
months. 

questionnaire.  A  series  of  questions  per- 
taining to  one  subject  (or  more  than  one) 
prepared  for  circulation  among  many  people 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  collective  opinion, 
evidence,  or  other  information. 


572 


THE   BUSINESS   LETTER   LEXICON 


queue.  A  file  of  persons  waiting  in  order  of 
their  arrival. 

quire.  The  twentieth  part  of  a  ream  of 
paper — 24  or  25  sheets. 

quorum.  The  least  number  of  attendants 
required  to  be  present  at  a  meeting  in  order 
that  the  proceedings  may  be  legal. 

quotation.  The  current  prices  of  commodities 
and  of  stocks  and  bonds,  as  pubUshed  in  news- 
papers, financial  organs,  and  on  bulletin  boards. 

quote.     To  give  a  sales  or  a  market  price. 

rackrent.  An  exorbitant  rent.  A  rent  of 
not  less  than  2/3  of  the  full  value  of  the  tenement 
or  lands  out  of  which  it  arises ;  hence,  in 
Ireland,  an  exorbitant  rent. 

rating.  Classification  according  to  a  standard 
value  or  grade,  as  the  estimate  of  the  worth 
of  a  man's  business. 

ratteen.  A  thick  woolen  twilled  stuff  used 
for  dresses. 

realize.  To  convert  securities  of  any  kind 
into  cash. 

realty.  Real  estate  ;  landed  property  in  any 
form. 

ream.  Twenty  quires  of  paper.  Short  ream, 
480  sheets ;  long  ream,  500  sheets ;  printer's 
ream,  516  sheets. 

rebate.  A  deduction  from  or  discovmt  on  a 
gross  amount.  A  reduction  or  allowance  made 
for  cash  or  early  payment. 

receipt.  A  written  acknowledgment  of  the 
payment  of  money  or  the  delivery  of  property. 

receiver.  A  person  appointed  by  the  court 
to  manage  or  control  the  property  or  fimds  of 
another  pending  judicial  decision  regarding  them. 

reckoning.     A  settlement  of  accounts. 

recognizance.  An  acknowledgment  or  obliga- 
tion of  record,  with  conditions  to  do  some 
particular  act,  as  to  appear  and  answer. 

recoup.  To  reimburse  a  person  for  a  loss. 
To  make  up,  as  a  loss. 

recourse.  The  right  to  exact  payment  from 
a  party  secondarily  liable,  when  the  first  party 
liable  has  failed  to  pay. 

recover.  To  succeed  in  a  lawsuit.  To  obtain 
by  legal  process. 

referendum.  The  submission  of  a  proposed 
measure  or  law  which  has  been  passed  upon  by 
a  legislature  or  convention,  to  a  vote  of  the 
people  for  rejection  or  ratification. 

refund.    To  pay  back. 

reimburse.  To  pay  back  as  an  equivalent  of 
what  has  been  spent  or  lost. 

remand.  To  recommit  or  send  back,  as  of 
an  accused  person  to  custody. 

remittance.  The  general  name  given  to  money 
that  is  sent  by  post. 

remnant.  The  remainder  of  a  piece  of  goods 
or  a  supply  of  commodities,  especially  after  the 
major  part  has  been  sold. 

remonetize.    To  reinstate  as  lawful  money. 

rent.  The  periodic  payment  made  for  the 
use  of  any  kind  of  property. 

rep.    A  textile  fabric  having  a  corded  surface. 

replevin.  An  action  to  regain  possession  of 
personal  property  unlawfully  retained. 

representative.   An  agent  of  a  business  house. 

reprisal.  A  sum  paid  or  received  as  compen- 
sation. Forcible  seizure  from  an  enemy  by 
way  of  retaliation  or  indemnity. 


reserve.  Money  kept  on  hand  for  the  purpose 
of  meeting  emergencies  that  may  arise  in  a 
bank  or  in  any  other  business  concern. 

residuum.  That  which  remains  after  any 
process  of  subtraction. 

retail.  To  sell  in  small  qusuitities  to  individual 
buyers. 

retain.  To  engage  beforehand,  as  a  lawyer, 
by  a  fee. 

revenue.  The  name  especially  given  to  the 
income  of  a  state  or  a  nation  as  the  result 
of  taxes  and  duties. 

revocation.  The  annulment  or  cancellation  of 
an  instrument,  act,  or  promise,  by  or  in  behalf 
of  the  person  who  made  it. 

rider.  An  addition  or  proposed  addition  to  a 
legislative  bill,  modifying  or  adding  to  its 
original  pvurport. 

ring.  A  combination  of  business  men  formed 
for  the  purpose  of  controlling  the  market  in 
certain  commodities,  and  thus  increasing  their 
own  personal  profits. 

risk.  An  obUgation  or  contract  of  insurance 
on  the  part  of  the  insurer. 

royalty.  Payment  made  to  authors  for  their 
compositions  ;  to  inventors,  for  the  use  of  their 
patents  ;  to  a  landlord  by  a  mine-owner,  for  the 
use  of  land. 

run.  To  continue  unexpired  or  unsettled.  To 
continue  in  force  and  effect. 

runabout.  A  light,  handy  automobile  for 
ready  service. 

runner.  A  messenger.  A  stockbroker's  agent 
who  solicits  business  on  a  commission  of  the 
profits  made. 

sabotage.  The  act  of  producing  poor  work 
in  order  to  cause  loss  or  damage.  The  damaging 
of  machinery  by  workers,  with  malicious  intent. 

sale.  Exchange  of  property  for  money  or 
for  the  equivalent  of  money. 

salvage.  The  saving  of  a  ship,  cargo,  etc., 
from  destruction  by  fire  or  water.  Property 
saved.  Money  awarded  for  services  in  the  saving 
of  such  property. 

sample.  A  piece  or  quantity  of  goods  repre- 
sentative of  the  quality  of  the  whole,  given 
customers  for  consideration  and  comparison. 

satisfy.    To  pay,  as  of  a  debt  or  claim. 

scalper.  One  who  buys  and  sells  at  less  than 
official  rates,  as  railroad  and  theater  tickets. 
A  ticket  speculator. 

schedule.  A  written  or  printed  statement 
or  inventory.  A  tabulated  summary.  A  graph 
showing  the  workings  of  an  organization. 

scoop.  Same  as  beat,  in  newspaper  slang : 
Priority  in  getting  and  publishing  a  piece  of 
news. 

scrip.  The  name  sometimes  given  to  bonds, 
stocks,  and  other  securities.  A  provisional 
document  certifying  that  the  holder  is  entitled 
to  receive  something  else,  such  as  shares  of 
stock,  bonds,  etc. 

scrivener.  A  broker.  A  money  lender.  One 
who  draws  deeds,  contracts,  and  similar  writings. 

seal.  The  wax,  wafer,  or  similar  token  affixed 
to  a  document  to  give  it  official  power. 

searcher.  A  customs  or  other  officer  em- 
powered to  search  conveyances  for  dutiable 
goods. 

search-warrant.     A  warrant  empowering  an 


573 


BUSINESS   LETTER  PRACTICE 


officer  to  search  a  house  or  other  place  for  things 
alleged  to  be  unlawfully  concealed  there. 

seaworthy.  A  term  used  to  signify  that  a 
ship  is  fit  to  go  to  sea  without  taking  undue  risks. 

second-hand.  Of  inferior  grade.  Having  been 
owned  and  used  by  another. 

seconds.  A  term  sometimes  applied  to  goods 
of  inferior  manufacture. 

securities.  Stock  or  bond  holdings  that  are 
convertible  into  money.  Particularly  valuable 
ones  are  known  as  "  gil^t-edged  "  securities. 

security.  A  written  promise  or  assurance  for 
the  payment  of  money. 

seize.  To  take  into  custody  of  the  law  by 
some  judicial  writ  or  order. 

selvage.  The  edge  of  a  woven  fabric,  so 
woven  that  it  will  not  ravel. 

sentence.  A  final  judgment  or  penalty 
pronounced  upon  a  convicted  person. 

serve.  To  deliver  a  writ  or  summons,  as  to  a 
court  proceeding. 

service.  The  legal  communication  to  a 
designated  person,  requiring  his  presence  at  a 
court  or  other  judicial  proceeding.  The  all- 
round  attention  and  attitude  received  by  the 
patrons  at  a  mercantile  or  other  business 
establishment. 

settle.  To  pay  ;  to  satisfy  ;  to  liquidate  ; 
to  adjust  differences ;  to  make  over,  as  a  right 
or  property,  by  legal  act. 

settlement.  The  completion  of  the  buying 
and  selling  process.  The  payment  or  satisfaction 
of  a  debt.  The  bestowal  of  money  or  property 
on  another  by  will  or  deed  or  other  form  of  gift. 

severalty.  The  holding  of  land  in  one's  own 
right  without  participation. 

shade.  To  modify  a  price  or  revise  it 
downward. 

share.  One  of  the  equal  parts  into  which  the 
capital  stock  of  a  company  or  corporation  is 
divided. 

ship.  To  send  by  any  established  method  of 
transportation. 

shipment.  A  consignment  of  merchandise  or 
the  amount  of  merchandise  or  other  cargo 
shipped. 

shop.  A  place  where  goods  are  sold  at  retail. 
To  go  from  shop  to  shop  to  inspect  and  purchase 
articles  of  merchandise.  A  place  for  making  or 
repairing  articles  or  carrying  on  a  trade,  especi- 
ally machine  shop.  (In  England  the  word  shop 
is  used  to  indicate  a  department  store  ;  here 
the  word  store  is  more  frequently  used.) 

shoplifting.  Larceny  from  a  shop  or  store 
during  business  hours. 

shopworn.  The  term  applied  to  goods  that 
have  deteriorated  as  the  result  of  having  been 
too  long  a  time  in  stock. 

short.  One  who  has  sold  short ;  a  bear.  A 
brief  contract  or  sale. 

shortsale.  A  sale  for  future  delivery  of  goods 
or  stocks  not  in  possession  at  time  of  sale. 

shyster.  A  lawyer  who  practises  in  an  un- 
professional manner.  Anyone  who  conducts  his 
business  in  a  tricky  fashion. 

sight.  To  present,  as  a  bill,  to  its  drawee, 
for  acceptance. 

signatory.  Bound  by  the  terms  of  a  signed 
document ;  having  signed  ;  one  who  has  signed. 

simony.  Traffic  in  sacred  things.  The  purchase 
or  sale  of  ecclesiastical  preferment. 


skein.  A  fixed  quantity  of  yam,  silk,  thread, 
wool,  etc.,  wound  to  a  certain  length  and  then 
doubled  and  knotted. 

skipper.     The  master  of  a  trading  vessel. 

slander.  False  tales  or  reports,  uttered  with 
malice. 

slaughter.    "  A  sweeping  reduction  in  prices." 

slump.  A  sudden  fall  in  the  prices  of  stocks 
or  commodities. 

smart-money.  Damages  awarded  against  a 
defendant  because  of  great  aggravation  attending 
the  wrong  committed.  Money  paid  for  a  release 
from  an  engagement  or  from  a  painful  situation. 

smuggle.  To  take  merchandise  into  or  out 
of  a  country  without  payment  of  lawful  duties. 

solvency.  The  condition  when  assets  are 
equal  to  liabilities. 

solvent.  Having  money  enough  to  pay  all 
debts  ;    more  assets  than  liabihties. 

sovereign.  An  English  gold  coin  worth  20 
shillings,  or  $4.86|  in  United  States  money. 
A  pound  sterling. 

specialty.  An  article  dealt  in  exclusively 
or  chiefly,  or  a  manufactured  product  of  peculiar 
character.     A  sealed  contract  or  deed. 

specie.     Coin,  rather  than  paper  money. 

speculator.  One  who  invests  at  great  risks. 
A  scalper. 

stake.  To  place  at  hazard  or  risk.  Something 
wagered  or  risked,  as  money  bet  on  a  race. 

staple.  A  commodity  that  is  established  in 
trade  and  regularly  bought  and  sold. 

starboard.     The  right  side  of  a  vessel. 

statistics.  The  science  that  deals  with  the 
collection  and  tabulation  of  numerical  facts  ; 
the  facts  so  collected. 

statute.     A  legislative  enactment. 

stay.  A  suspension  of  judicial  or  business 
proceedings. 

stevedore.  One  who  assists  in  the  loading 
and  unloading  of  ships. 

stipend.  An  allowance  or  salary,  especially 
one  that  is  barely  sufficient  to  support  the 
recipient. 

stock.  The  goods  and  merchandise  employed 
in  trade,  as  by  a  merchant.  The  capital  repre- 
sented by  shares  of  a  corporate  company  held 
by  individuals. 

stockbroker.  An  agent  who  acts  between  the 
buyer  and  the  seller  of  stocks. 

stock-jobber.  A  speculator  in  stocks  and 
shares  who  holds  stock  and  disposes  of  it  to  a 
stockbroker. 

stock-taking.  A  complete  examination  of 
stock  in  order  to  ascertain  the  value  of  goods 
on  hand  in  a  business  house  or  factory. 

stone.  A  British  measure  of  weight  of  about 
fourteen  pounds  avoirdupois. 

storage.  The  depositing  of  articles  in  a  ware- 
house for  safe  keeping.  The  charge  made  for 
storing  goods. 

store.  Strictly,  a  place  where  commodities 
are  stored  ;  a  warehouse.  In  the  United  States, 
a  shop  or  place  where  goods  are  sold  at  retail. 
To  place  in  a  warehouse. 

strait.  A  condition  of  financial  perplexity  and 
embarrassment. 

stub.  One  of  the  inner  ends  upon  which 
memorandum  is  entered  and  which  is  left  in  the 
binding  when  the  major  part  is  detached,  as 
in  a  check  book. 


574 


THE   BUSINESS   LETTER  LEXICON 


sublet.  To  lease  from  one  who  is  himself  a 
lessee. 

suborn.  To  induce  or  procure  to  commit 
perjury. 

subpoena.  A  judicial  writ  requiring  a  person 
to  appear  at  a  certain  place  and  time  under 
penalty  of  default. 

subrogate.  To  substitute  one  person  for 
another  in  the  assignment  of  rights. 

subscribe.  To  sign  one's  name  in  support 
of ;    to  pledge  to  pay  by  a  written  statement. 

subsidy.  A  grant  of  money  given  or  granted 
by  a  government  to  assist  home  industries,  such 
as  street  railways,  factories,  shipping,  etc. 

sue.     To  institute  legal  proceedings  against. 

suede.  Undressed  kid,  used  largely  for  making 
gloves. 

suit.  An  action  in  law  for  the  recovery  of  a 
right  or  the  redress  of  a  wrong. 

summons.  A  legal  notice  requiring  a  person 
to  appear  in  court. 

supercargo.  An  agent  on  board  ship  in  charge 
of  the  cargo. 

superfine.    Of  excellent  or  surpassing  quaUty. 

super-tax.  A  tax  levied  by  a  government  on 
incomes  beyond  a  certain  amount ;  an  additional 
tax. 

surcharge.    To  overload.    An  excessive  load. 

surrogate.     A  probate  judge. 

swear.     To  give  testimony  under  oath. 

sjmdicate.  A  union  or  combination  of  individ- 
uals or  firms  for  the  purpose  of  business  extension 
and  promotion. 

talesman.  One  summoned  to  make  up  a 
jury  when  the  regular  panel  is  exhausted. 

tally.     A  reckoning  or  account. 

tallsonan.  One  who  keeps  a  tally.  One  who 
keeps  shop  on  the  instalment  plan.  One  who 
sells  goods  by  sample. 

talon.  An  attachment  to  bonds  or  other 
securities  entitling  the  holders  to  additional  sets 
of  coupons. 

tare.  The  allowance  made  for  the  weight  of 
containers  in  which  shipped  goods  are  packed, 
such  as  case,  keg,  box,  wrapper,  etc. 

tariff.  Money  legally  due  on  imports.  Prefer- 
ential tariff  means  that  goods  from  a  certain 
favored  country  may  be  imported  at  reduced 
tariff  rates.  Retaliatory  tariff  means  that  one 
country  raises  its  tariff  rates  on  imports  from  a 
country  that  has  previously  imposed  similarly 
advanced  tariff  on  the  country  retaliating. 

telemeter.  An  apparatus  for  recording  at  a 
distance  the  readings  of  an  instrviment. 

teller.  One  who  receives  or  pays  out  money 
at  a  bank.  One  who  collects  and  counts  ballots 
at  an  election. 

tenancy.     Occupancy  of  land  under  another. 

tenant.  One  who  holds  property  under 
another  ;  a  lessee. 

tender.  A  small  boat  that  goes  alongside  a 
large  vessel  to  take  off  passengers  and  freight. 
An  offer  to  furnish  certain  service  or  to  make 
certain  purchases  according  to  specified  terms. 
A  vehicle  for  carrying  fuel  and  water  for  a 
locomotive. 

tenor.  The  purport  or  substance  and  effect 
of  an  instrument.    A  transcript  of  a  record. 

tenure.  A  holding,  as  of  land.  The  term 
during  which  property  is  held. 


terminus  or  terminal.  The  end  of  a  railway 
or  shipping  line.  The  town  or  place  at  the  end 
of  such  a  line. 

terms.  The  conditions  on  which  a  sale  is 
made,  a  contract  drawn,  or  an  agreement 
decided. 

testament.  The  testifying  to  a  final  disposi- 
tion of  money,  property,  or  securities,  usually 
applied  to  the  making  of  a  will — "  last  will  and 
testament." 

testate.    Having  made  a  will  before  death. 

testator.     One  who  at  death  leaves  a  will. 

textile.  A  woven  fabric,  such  as  cotton, 
woolen  goods,  silks,  etc. 

ticker.  An  instrument  in  business  offices  and 
public  places  for  reporting  transactions  from  the 
floor  of  a  stock  exchange  and  elsewhere  immedi- 
ately they  have  taken  place.  The  prices  appear 
consecutively  on  long,  narrow  pieces  of  paper 
called  tape,  and  are  sometimes  called  tape  prices. 
Telegraph  companies  instal  the  instrument  and 
supply  the  service  for  those  who  subscribe. 

ticker.     A  telegraphic  stock  indicator. 

tickler.  A  memorandum  kept  by  calendar 
that  automatically  reminds  one  of  payments, 
collections,  and  other  business  transactions,  on 
date  required.  A  monthly  numeric  set  of  cards 
in  a  filing  cabinet  for  the  purpose  of  reminding 
one  daily  of  matters  calling  for  attention. 

tierce.  A  cask  containing  (in  the  United 
States)  42  gallons  ;  (in  Great  Britain)  36  gallons. 
A  cask  for  packing  salt  provisions  for  shipment. 

tithe.  A  tax  of  one  tenth,  formerly  paid  in 
kind  in  support  of  the  clergy  and  the  church. 
A  tenth  part  of  anything. 

title.  The  right  to  and  legal  evidence  of  one's 
ownership  of  property. 

tolls.  Fees  paid  for  use  of  transportation 
lines,  such  as  canal,  railway,  road,  etc. 

tonnage.  The  cubic  capacity  of  a  merchant 
vessel  expressed  in  tons  of  100  cubic  feet  each. 
A  tax  levied  on  vessels  at  a  given  rate  per  ton. 
The  freight-carrying  capacity  of  cars  and  vessels, 
or  of  a  collection  of  them. 

tonneau.  The  barrel-like  body  of  certain 
motor  cars. 

tort.  Any  private  or  civil  wrong  by  act  or 
omission. 

towage.  The  act  of  assisting  a  large  vessel  to 
dock  by  lesser  craft,  such  as  tugboats.  The 
charge  for  such  assistance. 

trackage.  Railroad  tracks  collectively.  The 
towing,  especially  of  a  boat  in  a  canal,  with  a 
rope  from  the  towpath. 

trade.  Mercantile  traffic.  The  procuring, 
offering,  and  exchanging  of  goods  for  money 
at  fair  and  just  profit. 

trademark.  A  symbol,  legally  registered,  by 
which  a  merchant  or  other  dealer  distinguishes 
and  protects  his  brand  of  goods  or  service,  as 
in  advertising. 

trader.  One  who  trades.  A  vessel  in  the 
service  of  trade. 

transfer.  A  conveyance  or  exchange  of 
property. 

transship.  To  transfer  from  one  conveyance 
to  another,  or  from  one  line  of  shipping  to 
another. 

trover.  An  action  to  recover  the  value  of 
personal  property  of  the  plaintiff  wrongfully 
converted  by  another  to  his  own  use. 


575 


BUSINESS  LETTER  PRACTICE 


truckage.  Conveyance  by  truck.  Money  paid 
for  conveyance  by  truck. 

trustee.  A  person  who  holds  property  in 
trust  for  another. 

tun.  A  large  cask.  A  brewer's  fermenting  vat. 
The  amount  of  malt  liquor  fermented  at  one 
operation  ;  a  brew. 

turnover.  A  term  applied  to  the  complete 
evolution  of  goods  from  the  period  of  production, 
thru  processes  of  marketing,  to  the  period 
of  reaching  the  consumer.  The  rapidity  with 
which  this  evolution  is  made. 

underlease.  A  lease  of  premises  by  a  lessee ; 
a  sublease. 

undertenant.  One  who  holds  premises  by  a 
lease  from  another  who  is  himself  a  lessee. 

underwriter.  A  person  or  a  group  of  persons 
taking  all  or  a  majority  of  stock  shares  in  a 
new  company  that  are  not  subscribed  for  by  the 
public.  A  person  or  a  firm  financially  responsible 
in  case  of  business  failure  or  disaster.  A  body 
corporate  or  a  person  in  the  insurance  business. 
A  person  or  a  company  that  insures. 

unseaworthy.  A  ship  adjudged  by  a  board  of 
trade  or  similar  body  as  being  unfit  to  go  to  sea. 

unship.  To  unload  from  a  ship  or  other 
carrier. 

usufruct.  The  right  to  use  the  property  of 
another  and  to  draw  its  profits  without  wasting 
its  substance. 

usury.  Formerly,  interest  for  money  invested. 
At  present,  a  higher  rate  of  interest  for  money 
than  is  fair  or  allowable  by  law. 

valid.    Genuine  ;   good  ;   binding  by  the  law. 

value.  To  assess  or  appraise.  The  amount 
a  commodity  or  property  or  security  is  worth. 

vendor.     A  pedler  or  hawker. 

vendue.     A  public  sale  at  auction. 

venire.  A  writ  issued  to  a  sheriff  or  a  coroner 
for  summoning  a  jury. 

venture.  A  commercial  investment  that 
involves  risk.     A  business  speculation, 

venue.  The  place  where  trial  for  crime  is 
held.     The  paper  indicating  that  place. 

verdict.    The  decision  of  a  jury. 

void.  Worthless ;  without  support  of  the 
iaw. 


vouchee.  A  person  called  into  an  action  to 
defend  or  warrant  a  title. 

voucher.  Documentary  proof  of  money  paid 
or  a  transaction  completed.  An  automatic 
receipt.  A  check  returned  thru  the  clearing- 
house to  the  bank  on  which  it  was  drawn,  and 
thence  to  the  drawer. 

wadding.  Carded  cotton  used  for  packing, 
stuffing,  or  lining, 

wagonage.  The  act  of  or  charge  for  conveying 
by  wagon. 

waiver.  To  relinquish  or  yield  temporarily, 
a  right  or  a  claim. 

wallet.  A  large  pocketbook  for  holding 
banknotes  and  other  valuable  papers. 

wampum.  Beads,  formed  of  shell  and  strung 
on  threads,  formerly  used  by  American  Indians 
as  currency. 

ware.  Articles  of  commerce  ;  goods  ;  mer- 
chandise ;   as  glassware,  wooden  ware,  etc. 

wares.     Articles  of  merchandise  for  sale. 

warrant.  A  guarantee.  A  certificate  of  ofl&ce. 
An  authorization  to  search  proi)erty,  to  release 
goods,  to  seize,  etc.     (See  search  warrant.) 

warranty.  Same  as  warrant.  Authorization. 
A  written  guarantee  by  a  seller. 

water.  To  increase  the  number  of  shares  in 
a  stock  company  without  increasing  the  paid-in 
capital  accordingly. 

wear.  Clothing  or  wearing  apparel,  as  women's 
wear.  . 

wholesale.  To  sell  in  large  quantities,  in 
manufacturers'  packages,  to  companies  and 
large  mercantile  establishments. 

wickerware.  Ware  made  of  twigs,  osiers,  etc., 
especially  holders  and  furniture. 

wire.     To  telegraph.     A  telegram. 

worsted.  Woolen  yam  with  fibers  combed 
parallel  and  twisted  hard.  Material  for  braid 
other  than  cotton  or  silk. 

yam.  Any  fibrous  material,  such  as  wool, 
prepared  for  use  in  knitting,  weaving,  etc.  A 
spar  crosswise  of  a  mast  used  to  support  sails. 

year-book.  A  book  published  once  a  year, 
enumerating  and  summarizing  events,  transac- 
tions, negotiations,  statistics,  etc.,  of  a  house  or 
an  organization. 


576 


INDEX 


Abbreviations,  555 
Acknowledgment   forms,  246 ;    249- 

251 
Acknowledgments,    57-61,  204,  206. 

207,  209,  210,  212,  213,  214,  216, 

217,  218,  220,  221,  223,  224-226, 

243-245,  400-404 
Action,  in  sales  letters,  280,  281 
Address,    inside,    12 ;     on   envelope, 

41-42 
Addressograph  letters,  183,  184 
Adjustment  announcement,  503 
Adjustments,  forms,  249-251  ;  letters 

65,80,  84-85,   102,   117,   129,  138, 

237,  252,  255,  264,  267,  397,  400, 

402,  403,  405  ;  paragraphs,  248-251 
Advertising  on  envelopes,  42 
Advertising  vs.  sales  letters,  274 
Aeolian- Vocalion  letter,  187 
After,  uses  of,  217 
Alliteration,   113 
Ambiguity,  87 

American  Magazine,  article  from,  523 
Amplifying  paragraph,  93,  108-109 
Anger,  in  letters,  125-128,  241 
Annotations,  in  letters,  24 
Announcements,  485-511 
Antithesis,  113 
Apostrophe,   113 
Appeals,  collection  letter,  432 
Appendix,  555 
Applications,  161-165,  170-178  ;  club, 

175  ;    humorous,   178-179 
Argument,  92 
Argumentative  letters.  84-85,  79-80, 

108,  125-128,  179,  241,  262,  265 
Arrangement,  for  emphasis,   119 
Art,  principles  of,  2 
Articles,  for  dictation  and  study,  521, 

523,  529,  533,  537,  540.  544,  549, 

553 
Attention,  in  sales  letters,  280,  281 
Attention  of,  27,  376 
Authors'     League,     announcements, 

494-495 
Automaticket  letter,  319 
Automobiles,  letters  on,  185,  303-306, 

308,  359-362  ;  announcement,  485 
Auto  strop  letter,  83 


Balance,    principle    of    art,    2,    5  ; 

principle  of  rhetoric,  92,  115 
Bank  adjustment  letters,  247 
Bartlett,  John  T.,  article  by,  549 
Blankets,  letters  on,  102,  124 
Body  of  letter,  20 
Book,    collections,    438-444 
Books,  letters  on,  99.   131-133.  220, 

224,  266-267,  278,  320 
Bookshop,  announcement,   502 
^005/  letters,  291 
Brackets,   101,   102 
Breeziness    vs.    energy,    in    letters, 

134-135 
"  Bromides."  mid-letter,  286 
Brooks.   Mabel  F..   collection  series, 

438-444 
Business-building  words,  287 
Business  and  literature,  140-141 
Business  English,  definition  of,  49 
Business  Letter  Laboratory  (illus- 
tration), off  page  1,  48 
Business  letter  lexicon.  560 
Business  reports,  479-480 

Capitalization,   120-121 
Card  of  introduction,  167-169 
Carnation     Milk     Products     letters, 

300-301,  355-358 
Cautions,  as  to  numbers,  28  ;    as  to 

names   and   syllables,    30 ;     as   to 

hyphen,  31 
Charity  letters,  214,  219,  279,  321 
Chart  for  letter-copy  criticism.  155 
Chart.     Schulze's.     for    sales    letter 

analysis,  274 
Chronological  order,  91 
Circular  letters,  223,  290 
Circular,  selling  by,  473 
Claims  and  adjustments,  79,  84-85, 

117,  124,    129.  237,  252-267,    255, 

264 
Climactic  order,  91 
Clocks,  letters,  307 
Closed  punctuation,  9 
Closings  in  sales  letters,  284-285 
Clothing   announcements,    486.    488. 

490.  491,  492,  500,  501,  505.  506, 

507,  508,  509,  510 


577 


37— (429) 


INDEX 


C/O,  42 

Collection  forms,  426-427 

Collection,  letters  of,  118,  263,  423, 
434-468  ;  Brooks,  M.  F.,  438-444  ; 
commodity,  438-444 ;  448-460 ; 
Harvey,  448-460  ;  humorous,  463- 
464  ;  Omar  Khayyam,  438-444  ; 
service,  436,  437.  445-447,  461- 
462,  465-468 

Colon,  77 

Color  copy,  474,  476 

Comma,  98-99 

Commodity,  collections  on,  438-444, 
448-460  ;    selUng  by  letter,  273 

Common  errors  in  business  letter 
writing,  143-154 

"  Complete  English  Tradesman," 
quoted,  375,  385 

Complimentary  closing,  20 

Composition  of  letter,  47  ;  chart  for, 
51 

Connotation,  112 

Contents  of  style  manual,  44-46 

Contrast,  92 

Conviction,  in  sales  letters,  280,  281 

Cooperative  letters,  291 

Copy,  direct-mail,  473 

Copy,  testimonial,  166 

Corbett,  E.  P.,  article  by,  537 

Correspondence  manual,  44-46 

Correspondence  supervisor,   43 

Courtesy,  in  letters  of  claim,  240 

Credit  forms,  383,  386-394 

Credit  letters,  375-417  ;  acknow- 
ledgments, 400-404  ;  adjustments, 
397,  400,  402,  403,  405  ;  informa- 
tion, 396,  397,  399;  offer,  399; 
reference,  398 ;  requests,  395,  396, 
398 

Credit,  seUing  by  letter,  375 

"  Credits  and  the  Selling  Instinct," 
533 

Creeds,  advertiser's,  289 ;  business 
letter  writer's,  515-516 ;  sales- 
man's, 297  ;  writer's,  142 

Criticism  chart  for  business  letters,  155 

Criticism  of  letters,  154-155 

Dash,  123-124 

Dealer-help  letters,  291 

Deductive  order,  91 

Defoe,  Daniel,  quoted,  375,  385 

Degrees  and  titles,  15-17 

Description,  91 


Desire,  in  sales  letters,  280,  281 
Deute,  A.  H.,  article  by,  533 
Dictaform  letter,  308 
Dictation,  50  ;   articles  for,  519 
Direct-mail  copy,  473 
Display,  in  direct-mail,  474 
Division  or  split  letters,  295 
Don'ts  for  collection  letters,  433 

Economize,  51,  67 

Efficiency,  personal,  selling  by  letter, 

161 
Elgin  letters,  307 
Eliminate,  51,  52 
Elucidate,  51,  86 

Emphasis,  mechanical,  119-120  ;  rep- 
etition for,    118;    proportion    for, 

117;  structural,  117-119 
Enclosures,  474-479 
Energize,  51,   110 
Energy,  vs.  anger  in  letters,  125-128  ; 

vs.      breeziness,       134-135  ;       vs. 

"  yellowness,"   131-132 
Envelope,  40 
Errors,    common,   in   business  letter 

writing,  143-154 
Esq.,  14 

Euphony,   111-112 
Everyday    transaction,     selUng     by 

letter,  197 
Exclamation  mark,  122,  124 
Exposition,  92 

"  Faster  Collection  ;  less  Expense," 
553 

Figures  of  speech,  113  ;  cautions  as 
to,  114 

Financial  letters,  57-66,  205-208, 
210-212,  218,  224-226,  227-232, 
241-242,  253-254,  256-261,  263, 
309-313,  318,  363,  395-417 

Fisk  tire  letters,  350-354 

Focus,  2 

Focusing  the  sales  message,  288 

Fold  of  letter,  40 

Follow-ups,  62,  83,  208,  211,  221, 
293    322,  359 

Foreign  letters,  21,  53,  218,  219 

Forms,  caution  as  to,  123-124 ; 
collection,  426-427  ;  credit,  383, 
386-394  ;  letters,  290  ;  of  acknow- 
ledgment, 246,  249-251  ;  para- 
graphs, 93-94 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  quoted,  382 


578 


INDEX 


Gentlemen,  use  of,  18 
Ginger-up  letters,  291 
Gloves,   collection  letters,   448-460  ; 

sales,  323 
Goodrich    Rubber    Company  letter, 

106 
Greek  art,  principles  of,  2 
Greetings,  letter  of,  68,  504 
Guaranty  News,  article  from,  521 
Guaranty  Trust  Co.,  announcement, 

487 
"  Guaranty's  Mailing  Department," 

521 

Habits    of    business    letter    writer, 

140 
Hackneyed  expressions,   111-112 
Harvey  letters,  collections,  448-460  ; 

sales,  323 
Heading,  7 

Headlines,  direct-mail,  477 
Hendiadys,  113 
Herald,  New  York,  letter,  214 
Hosiery,  letters  on,  222,  359 
"  Human  Interest  Angle  the  Credit 

Man  Needs,"  529 
Humor,     in     application,     176-177, 

178-179  ;   in  collection,    463-464  ; 

in  interhouse  correspondence,  79- 

80  ;  in  recommendation,  188 
Hyphen,  cautions  as  to,  31 

Idea,  selling  by  letter,  273,  298- 
299 

Illustration,  in  direct  mail,  476 

Illustrations,  business  letter  labora- 
tory, opp.  page  1  ;  direct-mail 
inserts,  483-484  ;  picture  graphs, 
4  ;  signatures,  23  ;  letterheads,  34- 
37  ;  envelopes,  38-39  ;  letter  com- 
position department,  48 

In  care  of,  42 

Inductive  order,  92 

Information,  60  ;  in  letters,  200-201, 
215,  217;  letters  of,  57-61,  104, 
214-217,  396,  397,  399 

Ingersoll  letters,  adjustments,  264- 
265  ;  sales,  345-349 

Inquiries,  letter  on,  92 

Inquiry,  57,  103-104,  215 

Inserts,  direct-mail,  473 ;  illustra- 
tions, 482-483 

Inside  address,  12 

Instinct,  selhng,  533 


Interest,  in  sales  letters,  280,  281 
Interhouse  letters,  108,  227-232 
Interrogation  mark,  122,  124 
Introductions,  cards,  167-169  ;  letters 

180,  182 
Introductory  paragraph,  93,  108 

Judicious  Advertising,  article  from 
544 

Knowledge,  of  business  letter 
writer,  139 

Lambert,  and  Pratt  letters,  329- 
344 

Layout,  direct-mail,  475 

Leakage,  in  letters,  544 

Letter  Composition  Department, 
illustration,  48 

Letter  Laboratory,  illustration, 
opp.  page  1 

"  Letter  Leakage,"  544 

Letter  lexicon,  560 

Letters,  acknowledgment,  197  ;  ad- 
justment, 237  ;  application,  161  ; 
argumentative,  84-84  ;  79-80,  108, 
125-128,  179,  241,  262  265; 
boost,  291  ;  circular,  473  ;  claim, 
237  ;  collection,  423  ;  cooperative, 
291  ;  credit,  375 ;  criticism  of, 
154-155 ;  dealer-help,  291  ;  divi- 
sion, 295  ;  everyday,  197  ;  follow- 
up  62,  83,  208,  211,  221,  293,  322; 
359;  form,  290;  ginger-up,  291  ;  in- 
formation, 200  ;  interrogative,  199 ; 
introduction,  161  ;  model,  160, 
198,  238,  272,  376,  422,  472,  518, 
520  ;  order  197  ;  personal  efficiency 
161;  promotional,  309-312,  314, 
318,  320,  351,  352,  363,  364  ;  recom- 
mendation, 161  ;  reference,  161  ; 
routine,  197  ;  sales,  273  ;  split,  295  ; 
testimony,  166,  183-187  ;  tie-up, 
291 

Letterhead,  32  ;  illustrations  of,  34- 
35,  36-37 

Lexicon,  business  letter,  560 

Lincoln  letter,  138-139 

Lippincott,  Wilmot,  letter  by,  106 

Literary  Digest,  quoted,  514-515 

Literary  Review,  announcement, 
511 

Literature  and  business,   140-141 

Litotes,  113 


579 


INDEX 


Loose  Leaf  Ledger  letter,  186 
Loose  sentences,  114-115 
Lord    and    Taylor,    announcements, 
490,  492,  506,  507 

McCuAiG,  C.  B.,  article  by,  529 
Macy,  R.  H.  and  Company,  forms, 

249-251 
Magazine  articles,  521,  523,  529,  533, 

537,  540,  544,  549,  553 
Mailbag,  announcement,  495 
Manual,  correspondence,  44-46 
Mesdames,  etc.,  14,  18 
Messrs.,  14 
Metaphor,  113-114 
Method,  in  sales  letter,  276 
Metonymy,  113 
Mid-letter  "  bromides,"   286 
Miss,  14 
Model   letters,    160,    198,    238,    272, 

376,  422,  472,  518,  520 
Modistes,    announcements    of,    486, 

488,  500,  501,  505,  508,  510 
Monotony,  111-112 
"  Moods  That  Make  Good  Letters," 

549 
Movement,  2,  5 
My,  14 
Mrs.,  14 

Nagel,  Charles  S.,  article  by,  553 
Names  and  syllables,  cautions  as  to, 

30 
Narration,  91 
Negative  expressions,   111-112    129- 

130 
New  York  Herald  letter,  214 
Notices,  485-511 
Numbers,  cautions  as  to,  28 

Obscurity,  87-88 

Omar    Khayyam    collection     series, 

438-444 
One  thing  at  a  time,  75,  79-80 
Opdycke,  John  B.,  article  by,  544 
Open  punctuation,  9 
Openings  in  sales  letters,  282-283 
Optical  center,  2 
Order,   balanced,   92  j   chronological, 

91  ;  climactic,  91  ;  contrasted,  92  ; 

deductive,  91  ;  inductive,  92 
Order  letters,  202 

Packard  letters,  302-306.  359-363 


Paint  letters,  329-344 

Paper,  letters  on,  91,  314 

Paragraph,  89  ;  amplifying,  93,  108- 
109 ;  form,  93-94  ;  introductory, 
93,  108;  summary,  93.  109; 
transitional,  93,  108 

Paragraphing,  itemized,  248,  255 

Paragraphs,  forms  for  adjustment, 
246 

Parallelism,   115-116 

Paraphrase,   113 

Parentheses,  100-101,   102 

Participial  closing,  21,  55 

Parts  of  letter,  7-28 

Period,  76 

Periodic  sentences,  114-115 

Personal  announcement,  493 

Personification,  113-114 

Persuasive  appeals,  in  letters,  537 

Petitions,  482,  512.  514-515 

Picture  of  letter,  1  ;  illustration  of, 
4 

Placement  of  letter,  illustration  of,  4 

Plan,  sales  letter  method,  276 ; 
sales  letter  problems,  275 

Planned  letters,  60-66,  83,  105,  106, 
108 

Planning,  54,  56,  60-66,  83,  85,  105, 
106-107,  108-109 

Point  of  view,  53 

Pointedness,  67 

Politeness,  in  letters,  21 

"  Poor  Richard,"  quoted,  582 

Postage,  direct-mail,  478 

Postage,  letters  from,  106,  178-179 

Pratt  and  Lambert  letters,  329-344 

Pretentiousness,    111-112 

Printers'  Ink,  articles  from,  529, 
533,  537,  540,  549 

Printers'  Ink  letter,  316 

Promotional  announcements,  499, 
502,  511 

Promotional  letters,  309-312,  314, 
318,  320,  351,  352,  363,  364 

Proportion,  for  emphasis,  117  ;  prin- 
ciple of  art,  2,  5 

Punctuation,  brackets,  101,  102 
colon,  77,  78;  comma,  98-100 
dash,  123,  124  ;  exclamation  mark 
122,  124;  open  and  closed,  9 
parentheses,  100-101,  102  ;  period 
76-77,  78;  question  mark,  122 
124  ;  quotation  marks,  101,  102 
semicolon,  100.  102 


580 


INDEX 


Punctuation    letters,     78,     99,    102, 

124 
Purpose,  in  business  letter,  53-54 

"  Quality  of  Restraint  in  Business 

Letters,"  540 
Question  mark,  122,  124 
Questions,  in  letters,   199-200 
Quotation,  letter  of,  214 
Quotation  marks,  101,  102,  215 

Recommendations,     165-167,     182, 

188 
Redundancy,  70 
References,  78  ;  credit,  398  ;  follow  up 

180-181 
Remittances,  202-203 
Repetition,  for  emphasis,  118 
Reports,  479-480 
Reproof,  letter  of,  80 
Requests,    205-207,    212,    395,   396, 

398 
Resolutions,  482,  513 
Restraint,  in  letters,  520 
Routine  letters,  95,  197,  201 
Roycroft,     letters,     224,     324-328; 

inserts,  482 
"  Rubber,  A    Wonder  Story,"   letter, 

221 

St.  Nicholas  letter,  317 

Sales  announcements,  500,  506,  507, 
509 

Sales  letter  closings,  284-285 

Sales  letter  openings,  282-283 

Sales  letters,  63-64,  66,  81-82,  99, 
106,  119,  130,  131-133,  134-135, 
298-365 

Sales  letters  vs.  advertising,  274 

"  Sales  Letters  with  the  Persuasive 
Appeal,"  537 

Salutation,  18 

Satisfaction,  selling  by  letter,  237 

School,  announcement,  498  ;  letter, 
364 

Schulze's  chart  for  letter  analysis, 
274 

Scott,  quoted,  67 

Selling,  by  circular,  473  ;  commodity, 
273  ;  credit,  375  ;  everyday  trans- 
actions, 197  ;  idea,  273 ;  personal 
efficiency,  161  ;  satisfaction  (claim 
and  adjustment),  237  ;  service,  273  ; 
solvency  (collections),  423 


Semicolon,  100,  102 

Sense  appeals,  in  sales  letters,  290 

Sentences,  balanced,  114-115;  loose, 

114-115;  periodic,  114-115,  116 
Service,  collections  on,  436,  437,  445- 

447,  461-462,  465-468  ;  letters,  92, 

104,  105,  306,  309-312  ;  selling  by 

letter,  273 
Shelley  letters,  136,  137 
Signature,  22  ;   illustrations  of,   23- 

24 
Simile,  113-114 
Slang,  97,  111-112 
Solvency,  selling  by  letter,  423 
Split  or  division  letters,  295 
Statements,  480-482 
Stationery,  32 

Stebbins,  Samuel,  article,  by,  521 
Stein-Bloch,  announcement,  509 
Steps  in  development  of  sales  letter, 

280 
Study,  articles  for,  519 
Style  manual,  contents  of,  44-46 
Summary  paragraph,  93,  109 
Supervisor  of  correspondence,   43 
Syllables  and  names,  cautions  as  to, 

30 
Synecdoche,  113 
Synonyms,  97 
System,  article  from,  553 

Tautology,  69-70 
Technical  orders,  203 
Telegrams,  collection,  434 
Telephone  announcement,  504 
Telephone  announcement,  504 
"  Tell  the  Truth,"  verse,  289 
Testimonial  letters,  166,  183-187 
"  The  Editor  Speaks,"  verse,  142 
Tie-up  sales  letters,  291 
Tires,  letters  on,  350-354 
Titles,  and  degrees,  15-17  ;  in  direct- 
mail,  477 
Trademark  letters,  298-299 
Transaction,    everyday,     selling    by 

letter,  197 
Transitional  paragraph,  93,  108 
Transitional  words,  95 
Truth,  in  selling,  289 
Typewriter,  care  of,  33 
Typist,  33,  49 

United     States     Rubber    Company 
letters.  221 


581 


INDEX 


Vagueness,  87 
Verbosity,  70 

Verse,     "  Tell     the     Truth," 
"  The  Editor  Speaks,"  142 


289; 


Wallen,  James,  article  by,  540 
Western  Union  collection  telegrams, 

434 
"  What     I     Have     Learned     About 

Writing  Letters,"  523 


Words,  96  ;  business-building,  287  .' 
first  and  last,  116;  list,  116; 
transitional,  95 

Yawman-Erbe  letter,  183 

"  Yellowness  "  vs.  energy,  in  letters, 

131-132 
you,  in  sales  letters,  281-282 
^OM-attitude,  53,  55 


Printed  in  Bath,  England,  by  Sir  Isaac  Pitman  &  Sons,  Ltd. 
X— (429) 


OVERDUE. 


402s) 


L^ 


-V 


VC  247.99 


498433 


'ERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  LIBRARY 


